Resurgence
by MTCicero
Summary: Darkness is awakening once again. While an elusive peace still hangs over Hyrule, slowly the shadows darken. Link is but 15 years old when the calamity threatens the land. Gifted though he may be, he knows nothing of the danger, or the part he is to play in the unraveling of the struggle of Light against Dark. Mortal peril, adulthood, young romance, grittiness await! Long project!
1. Prologue and Sunny Awakenings

Prologue:

It watched. It had watched the world for a long time. It surveyed all its countries. All its peoples. It was aware of every malicious thought, every silent curse, every evil intent. It savoured them, judging by them the world's readiness.

Thousands of years It had been a mere shadow of a frown, a twitch of dissatisfaction on a man's brow or a small shiver of cold.

Powerless.

Lifeless.

Beaten.

Beaten but not destroyed. It bided Its time. Time was all It had.

And while the memory of Its captors faded with the passing of eons, it gathered strength. Every act of malice, every raised fist, every drop of blood spilled on the earth… nourishment.

For so long It was deadened, Its consciousness shattered. Only the most primal urge to feed had been left. And it hungered. Eternal, insatiable hunger. For Power.

Its memories slowly returned, each century mending a fragment of Its self. This was not the first exile…

With the memories returned the fury, the ravaging hatred that had once made the world quake.

It burned. It burned with endless desire. Not long, now. Wards fade. Seals splinter. And most of all: People forget. All was as it should be. As it had always been. This was not the first exile… Not the first time it had been defeated. But each time It learned…

It burned. Burned with the impatience of the once powerful turned impotent. But it would wait. Wait for the world to be ripe once more. Wait for the perfect moment to set it aflame yet again and watch as its people clawed at each others throats to please It.

It burned. Burned with the desire for power. Already it could feel. It would not be long now. It would once again see Its fiercest adversary bleed. And if It failed once more it mattered not. It could not be destroyed. It would return. And, It thought, I only need to succeed once.

Even in Its half conscious state, it felt a grim satisfaction.

It smiled. And the world trembled.

Chapter 1

The clouds parted and sunrays blinded him even through his closed eyes. The gusty wind rustled the leaves of the apple trees and blew a few strands of his hair on his face. Cicadas rattled endlessly in the summer heat. He heard the muffled bustle of the kitchen from underneath the flat roof he was lying on. The smell of grass and tree was more and more replaced by the smell of freshly baked bread. He heard one of the children squeak excitedly over something or other. He heard the familiar cracking of the old wooded house as the sun warmed it. He opened his eyes a little. Deep blue eyes looked upon row after row of old, gnarled apple trees, gently wafting in the wind. A sheep was nibbling on grass a little way off, apparently separated from its flock.

Goddesses above it's boring!

The fifteenth summer of the _same_. The same daily routines, the same people, the same complete and utter absence of anything exciting. It was stifling.

Today was especially bad. He had absolutely nothing to do. His father had left for town hall to pretend at being important and so the smithy was cold.

… That had been needlessly mean, he scolded himself. His father was a good man. And, probably, the only person that put their village of Ord on the map. If not for his steel, not even the neighbour village would know where Ord was. But as it was today, not even learning the trade provided distraction.

He looked at the nearest tree's shadow. About one in the afternoon. His stomach grumbled reflexively. He grimaced. Not even eating was an option. His mother would cook properly for the evening when his father came back. Until then it was every man for himself.

Alright, enough moping!

He hated these moods he was having. Waste of the energy that he so enthusiastically fed his body. Not a day had went by for the last month where his dear mother hadn't commented that he ate too much. "Din's fire! You're eating more than your father! What do you do with all the food that's vanishing inside of you? You'll eat us poor!", she would say before giving him another helping before he could even ask.

Speaking of his mother and food…

He lazily got up and stretched his body, yawning. At least he tried to. Halfway into a good stretch a few muscles complained. Only those in his hands, arms, shoulders, neck, back and legs. Exhaled through gritted teeth. How was this supposed to be "healthy"?

He finished his stretch, very gently, feeling like an old man. He brushed his blonde hair out of his face with his fingers and scratched his chin. Long way or short way?

Unnecessary question! He took a brief running start over the roof, jumped the 2 meters towards the closest tree, the one with the perfectly grown horizontal branch, grabbed it with both hands, swung once until his momentum stopped, turned like a cat in mid air, re-grabbed the branch, now from the other direction, swung back, let go, landed on the rim of one of the empty cider barrels, hopped off immediately and landed perfectly on the ground. He looked back up towards the roof and the tree and nodded to himself. A job well done!

His muscles recovered from their initial shock and complained even more loudly. He winced. "Can't please everyone…"

He heard a metallic clank behind him. He tried to hop out of the way but it was too late. A bucket full of water splashed all over his back.

"What by Din's hellfire were you doing on the roof again? And then scare me half to death with your racket! I thought you had fallen off, you crazy monkey!"

Despite his sobering cold shower he had to grin like an idiot. He had just run on a shingle roof with his mother in the room below. His mother, who had a very firm opinion on monkeying around on roofs or trees. He turned around, still grinning sheepishly.

"Don't grin like a dolt. I said DON'T! Gods you drive me nuts when you are bored. Sir Russel should put you through the wringer even harder, drive that energy out of you."

She stood, her hands on her hips, slowly shaking her head. Meera was the very figure of a matron. Not tall but firm in figure and mind, no-nonsense about everything and doting to a fault. By now he was half a head taller than her, but her genuine wrath was still the single most dangerous thing he could imagine.

"Sorry. Didn't mean to startle you." The voice of a young man, not that deep, but spirited.

The apology seemed to take most of the fire our of Meera's eyes. She relaxed just a bit.

"Why are you even here? Go into town, meet your friends! Go! I can't have you around when all you do is drive me up the walls!"

The "town" would be just as boring. And his friends would be busy, he knew. But there was little point in trying to argue with her right now so he nodded.

"May I grab a bite to eat?"

"Bread and milk. Don't even try to get me to make you something."

He didn't have to. His mother's fresh bread was a treat in itself. He stormed past her, ripped a loaf in two and bolted out again.

"Grab the whole loaf, why don't you!" she growled when he passed her.

"Sure!" he chirped, turning on a dime and strutting back to the kitchen.

He could almost feel the diamond-hard eyes boring into the back of his skull.

"If I see only more of your dirty fingerprints on my fresh bread, I'm going to put you in the oven and bake you alive."

"Hmm. Would I turn out sweet or savoury, I wonder…" he mumbled with an exaggerated thinking pose. Then he flashed his most lovely grin at her. "Definitely sweet, I think!"

"Pff, yeah, like rot."

He finally made his way towards the gate of their property.

"Link!" he heard his mother yell. He turned around, mid bite.

"If you see your father, tell him to come home before sundown if he wants his dinner warm!"

"Wiww do!" He shouted back via the medium of bread.

Link followed the dry, dusty road into the village centre. He wasn't sure what he'd do when he got there. His two closest friends, Marten and Ricco were most likely busy with their apprenticeships. Marten was the bowyer's son. Link loved the simple but efficient yew bow he had gotten for his last birthday, but he barely ever used it. Since all three of them were busy with learning a trade now, they rarely had time to spend together. Much to the village's relief, Link added with a little smile. Bow practice was boring when you're alone. You had to have someone there to show off when you'd hit a particularly hard target. Where were the days where hardly an hour could pass without seeing one of them? Now he was lucky when he could hang out with them once a week. And on the rare opportunities when they all had time, there was sword practice… He winced and shook his head, trying to shake that thought out of his skull.

10 minutes later he arrived in Ord's main plaza, if you could call it that. In a village of exactly 82 people the "main plaza" was a round cobbled space with 15 metre diameter and a large well in the middle, which was overshadowed by an impressive mulberry tree. As always, it was busy. The north road had a lot of traffic and Ord was only a stone's throw to its side, so each day brought quite a few travellers. He looked around at today's assortment. Hylians mostly, of course, but a travelling group of Gerudo had also found their way here. They were bartering aggressively, as was their way. But old Vemma, the village's potter, was too set in her ways to even consider lowering her price. A few words of the group's heavily accented speech reached Link's ears. He had always liked the sound of their language. Hard and melodic, evoking the picture of a warlike, yet highly cultured people.

Link also liked the way their women dressed… with not much…

"Link!" he heard a familiar voice. To his delight he saw Ricco sitting at a table of the tavern, waving him over. He weaved through the closely standing tables towards his friend.

"So busy ogling these Gerudo ladies that you hardly even noticed me. Pretty sight, I'll give you that."

Link felt himself blush just a tiny bit. He couldn't even deny it.

"What are you doing here, lazing about?" he said as greeting.

"Oh, I am very busy, technically. I was sent as front man to coax customers into the tavern. But, having done a superb job already, alas, we've run out of tables."

"Superb job, my cheeks. Shouldn't you help with serving then?"

"New serving girl… dad wants to see how she handles the floor herself, with me only stepping in if it gets critical. So far she's a gift from the goddesses. Putting me out of work though." He finished with a theatre worthy sigh.

"My heart goes out to you. I know how hard you usually work, your back bent under dishes, hastening from table to table like lightning… maybe with the new serving girl people will finally stop starving at your tables…"

"That coming from someone who struggles at making a straight nail. Maybe you should look into the corkscrew business?"

They both grinned at each other. Ricco got up to get two lemon waters. They clinked their cups and were silent for a few moments, just enjoying the company.

"Shame we don't see each other more often…" Ricco offered.

Link was relieved to hear his friend state what had bothered him all spring.

"Hmm." He agreed. "It really is. This whole year so far has been so _unbelievably_ boring."

Ricco gave him a look. "What are you talking about? You, old Russel's chosen apprentice, the champion of Ord, the finest swordsman in…" he got louder and louder with each word until Link shushed him.

"Alright, alright." Link hissed under his breath, signalling his opposite to keep it down. He glanced around briefly to make sure that nobody had reacted to Ricco's outburst. "I get what you're saying, you dolt, but this whole tournament business isn't exactly what I wanted. Swordfighting? Sure. But being carted off to embarrass myself in front of all of Hyrule city? That's not really one of my priorities in life." He grumbled with a frown. "And special training with Sir Russel might sound exciting, but it really is just a chore. He's drilling me as if I was in the royal guard!"

"Bla bla, quit complaining! You still have more excitement than Marten or me, so you don't get to moan about that. And by the way, travelling to Hyrule city sounds great. The people, the impressions, the girls… I'd take a few bruises and sore muscles for that."

Link knew that Ricco was right, in theory. He'd like to see the capital again. He'd been there with his father when he'd been seven or eight. He also knew he should be honoured to be chosen to compete in the junior tourney of swordmastery. But he lacked motivation. He had never cared that much about winning and even if he did, it was just the junior tourney. Nobody would remember him anyway. The attention of the recruiters of the royal guard would probably be his biggest recognition. There was no material prize attached to winning, not that he would have cared much about that either. He had enjoyed the prospect of receiving additional training but he once again found that he hated training alone. And Sir Russel certainly wasn't great company in any situation. Another problem was that, of course, most of the other combatants would be some noble sons (or, rarely, daughters), that had probably been trained since they could walk. They also didn't have any work or chores, the pampered brats, so they could focus exclusively on mastering the sword. Also, these wretches most likely thought they needed to keep the honour of their family by winning, or some such nonsense. He, Link, on the other hand was a bumpkin from Ord. Nobody expected him to win. The only reason he was chosen to participate was to please the rural population of Hyrule. A few other yokels from different villages or towns would be there, but what chance did they stand, really? Bah! What was the point?!

"What's up with you the last few weeks, anyway? The few chances we get to hang out you mope around as if you had the worst lot in the entire world. And every time someone mentions the tourney, you make a face as if you'd just been beaten already! You know we're all supporting you, right?" Ricco grumbled with a quizzical smile.

"I know that, Ric. But that doesn't really make it any easier, you know?" Link sighed.

"So are you just that nervous then? That doesn't seem like you…"

"I… guess I am. But not for the right reasons, if that makes any sense. I feel like its just a pointless event, yet I still want to show what I can do. I don't think I have any chance to win, yet I don't want to let all of you down. I tell myself its just a bit of sport, yet I don't want to embarrass myself in front of the whole capital. It's driving me mad!" Link finished, his head in his hands.

"Whoa, wouldn't have thought that it bothers you that much…" Ricco said, not unkindly. "But it seems to me that all these dilemmas would be solved if you trained like a beast and just got better than all the others. The three of us have been fencing since we were old enough to hold a stick. I know you and I think you can do it!" He said, boxing Link on the shoulder.

Link knew that was high praise from his friend, who would have loved to compete himself. If only to get sweet with one of Hyrule city's girls afterwards. So he straightened up and made a brave face.

"Thanks, brother. I'm not convinced, but I promise I at least won't whine about it any longer."

"That would be a good start. Damn, the kind way worked for once. I was ready to drag you to the back of the Dinnery and smack some sense into ya!"

Link winced, but not because of the threat. Dinnery! Who ever had thought of the name "Ord Dinnery" for the tavern should have been smacked! Link had always hated that pun. But he seemed to be alone on that front…

Aloud he said: "Fine, fine, you won." And he made a grimace of a hyper-exaggerated grin. "Better?"

"Much! But with your face everything would be better."

"Is the offer of a back-alley brawl still standing? I think your face could stand a little reorganizing."

It was a relatively hollow threat. Link might be superior with a blade, but Ricco, a head taller and about twice as broad, had a considerable weight advantage and knew how to use it. Brawling against him had very rarely worked in Link's favour.

"Nah. Old Russel would have my hide if I broke his favourite toy." He smirked evilly.

Link shuddered. He dreaded today's lesson from Ord's resident knight. At almost 60 the old bastard had stamina like a beast and enough skill with the sword to beat Link from one end of the square to the other. And he hadn't practiced yesterday, disobeying his instructions.

"Non of that face!" Ricco warned.

"Alright already! But you could stop bringing it up, you know."

"Take all of my fun, why don't you." Ricco smirked.

"Gladly. Why don't you join me in the square today, serve as my personal assistant. You could be my training dummy. You move so slowly anyway, no-one would notice you aren't made of wood. I'd even let you serve me lemon water, so you could even feel like you're doing your job!" Link suggested nastily.

"Yeah I'm slow, there's a new one!" Ricco replied, ignoring the jab about him being a server. "Come on, let's stop fighting. You'll be running for your life long enough as it is today, right?"

Link gave a conciliatory nod. They bumped their cups again and drank.

"Say, can I scrounge a bit of food before the "lesson"? Since father is out till the evening, mother won't cook dinner."

Ricco sighed dramatically. "A bit of food" in the lexicon of Link usually meant half their larder. "Let me see what I can find. How can you eat so much and look like a skeleton? Bloody mystery!"

"It must be the grace of the goddesses for all my good deeds." Link canted.

Ricco replied by making a fart noise with his mouth and lumbered towards the kitchen.

Now sitting alone, Link tried to recall their conversation. It was rare for them to have such a serious talk, so it meant something. _"You know we're all supporting you, right?"_ …He had find motivation. It was a chance to prove to the city folk that the country was worth their attention. He would show them. He would like it!


	2. Bitter Work

Chapter 2:

He hated it.

"Up!" a gruff voice barked.

Link scrambled up. He could already feel his chest bruise up where Sir Russel's last blow had landed.

"You are slow! You are a quarter my age and stand there like an old woman. MOVE YOUR LEGS, BOY!" and the old bear launched into another flurry of quick jabs with his dulled blade.

Link managed to parry them all but was constantly driven back.

"Don't just backpedal! Sidestep, shorten the distance, DON'T BE PREDICTABLE!" he roared and performed an underhanded swing that dodged Link's sword and hit him neatly in his right armpit, precisely where it hurt most. Link gritted his teeth, made two quick jabs at the old man's face and followed it up with a powerful vertical slash. The jabs were swatted away and the slash was redirected almost uninterestedly by Sir Russel, who sidestepped and raised his blade to Link's now exposed throat.

Link could only frown at yet another humiliating defeat.

"Yes, I'd frown too. You are slow, you are predictable, you STILL do these heavy attacks without using their momentum for a follow-up attack, your legwork is lazy, your jabs are weak and you parry like a block of wood parries an axe." Sir Russel lectured, barely out of breath. Link meanwhile was panting heavily.

Russel shook his head. "And you are out of shape. Nothing but lazing around! It's _unhealthy_!"

Link had to fight with himself not to roll his eyes. He'd grown to hate that word.

"I have it on good authority that Gors of House Gorridan runs 10 kilometres a day before each training. Healthy, that! You will do the same from now on. Every. Day. Boy. And I know you have trained fuck all on your own. Do you think me a fool?"

Link looked up, surprised. He had never heard Sir Russel swear like this before. He must be quite angry to lose his composure like that. He had the decency to feel bad. The old man was using a lot of his free time to train him. He did it as a favour to his father. But he…

"I apologize, Sir. I will train more seriously from now on." Link promised, uncertainly.

"Hmph. Not the first time I have heard that from you, boy." He grumbled, his expression most sour. But it did seem to take some of the anger out of him.

"Listen, lad! These sessions here are only the tip of the iceberg. You need to practice as I have instructed to strengthen your body and make it quicker. If you don't, these hours with will only continue to be painful for both of us. Raw talent won't save you. Battlefury won't save you. Grinding your body until it is dangerous without a weapon will. Exercising your mind until you not only react but know the course of the battle before it has even begun will. Do you think you can defeat a bunch of Bokoblins by just reacting to their fierce attacks? You need to be able to weave through a horde of enemies, knowing their actions so far in advance that you need only perform as if you were guided by a higher power. You have no time to REACT." He bellowed, lunging at Link and jabbing him right in the stomach before he could even raise his sword. Link toppled over. It hadn't been a particularly hard strike, but impacting enough to get the message across.

"But before we can even begin working on your mind you need to steel your body, boy. I'm not even _half_ as fast as you could be. With your youth and your build you should be dancing around me like a leaf in a storm. LAZY!"

The old bear turned around, shaking his head. He stomped towards the small table where he had prepared to cups of water. He took both and handed one to Link who was just about able to breath again. He took the cup, momentarily surprised by the kind gesture.

"Drink. I'm not done with you for today. Your lack of training will not excuse you from my lessons, even if it turns out to be pointless. And painful for me to watch you flail your steel about like a mad baboon."

"Believe me, Sir, it is painful for me too." It was a lame comeback, Link knew.

"Yes? Good. Maybe a few bruises will get your obstinate head to understand, when words or honour failed. Understand that the gruelling part of your instruction is the necessary foundation to everything other skill. Do you think your father would be the master blacksmith he is today if he hadn't first honed his body and mind, one simple nail or horseshoe at a time? You know what the really frustrating part is though?" Sir Russel turned to gaze towards the distant mountains, glowing orange in the evening sun. "I was a hopelessly untalented wretch. Flabby, weak, slow to learn anything. I got my skill through years of endless, hopeless grinding. I trained when the other lads went to bed or into town to drink and wench. Oh how they mocked me. I would challenge them again and again, just to learn how to fight. And every time I was knocked on my arse, I had learned to move a little quicker, to anticipate a little better. Oh how they laughed whenever they had knocked me to the floor. Right up until I started catching up. And suddenly none of them could beat me. I had negated my lack of talent with hard work."

He looked lost in thought, with a tiny satisfied smile on his lips. Then he looked back at Link and his usual sour expression returned.

"And here's you. More talent than sense, but it's wasted because you refuse to do anything with it. You would need but a fraction of my effort to become good with a sword. You are spoilt!"

Link stared at the old man, wide eyed. To his knowledge Sir Russel never spoke of himself, least of all in such a verbose manner. For the grizzled warrior to speak so openly was unthinkable. And hearing it, hearing the meaning behind his words hit Link right in the gut.

"Do you think you can pull yourself together and _work_ for it? Use this talent of yours learn to become not good, but great?" Sir Russel asked with a stern expression.

"I… don't know." Link admitted, his gaze lowered.

"… I see. I don't know what is keeping you. I still think you are spoilt. But I guess the needed resolve is not given to everyone. Will you at least try? Give it a serious attempt instead of sticking your head in the sand?" The old knight looked dejected.

The remark about him being spoilt stung, but Link doubted it would pull him out of his lethargy. He had never wanted to participate in the tourney. It was his father's insistence and the prospect of training with a knight that had made him consent. Now it was only the fear of his father's disappointment that made him keep at it… half heatedly. He attempted to look sincere and uttered "… I will try."

The old warrior nodded grimly. "Then raise your steel and come at me."

An hour later Link trudged back home. If the steel they used had been sharp he would have been cut to ribbons. He vowed to himself that he would actually train the remaining 8 weeks, but even to his inner ear, he lacked conviction.

Once he reached his front door he sighed and banished his no doubt pitiful expression from his face. He found his family already at the table: Mother, Father and his two siblings, 9 year old Ria and 7 year old André, named after his father.

His mother smiled warmly at him. "Ah, dear, perfect timing! Wash your hands and sit down. We're ready to eat." Wordlessly he did as she asked.

"Is everything alright, dear?"

"Sure."

She looked at him with a very doubtful expression but chose not to pry any further.

While they were eating his father talked about his day at the town hall. How his haggling for raw iron had gone, what news from the capital and the surrounding countries he had heard, nothing of great interest to Link.

Then however he spoke up. "By the way. Apparently the rumour we heard about the princess stopping in Ord on their way back from Kirria was actually true. An outrider of her retinue arrived today, bringing confirmation. She'll arrive the day after tomorrow."

Link listened up at that. A whole royal procession of knights did sound interesting. Possibly just the right thing to take his mind off that stupid tourney.

"I heard princess Zelda is a true beauty like her mother." Meera said conspiratorially, smirking at Link. Of course she had misinterpreted his perking up… He wasn't interested in royalty. They'd probably be lucky if they even got a glimpse of her, with her guards swarming all around her. He was more interested in the life of a soldier, their capabilities, their _stories_.

"We'll get to see the princess?" Ria asked with glittering eyes.

"Will there, be a feast?" André Jr. wanted to know. There's a kid who had his priorities straight, Link thought.

"The princess will be weary from her months of travelling. Seems like she just wants to spend the night, then be off in the morning again." Replied his father.

"How old is Princess Zelda?" asked Ria.

"Fifteen? Possibly sixteen." Meera answered

Great, Link thought. A pubescent princess and his entire village at her beck and call… What fun.

"Anyway, how was sword practice, son?" The dreaded question…

Link wouldn't shame his father by lying. "Not great, to be honest."

"How so?"

"I… don't think I am good enough." That was at least half true.

"Ah. So you think it would be best to not even train?" His father asked plainly.

Bullseye. Link wondered if he was truly that easy to read.

"I…"

"You are not a child, Link." His father interrupted. "I trust that you find the problem and solve it. If I can help you, I will. But I have a feeling that it has more to do with motivation than actual skill. Part of growing up is to motivate yourself. Sir Russel has high hopes for you. And so do I. So I expect you to do the best you can. Not the best you want."

"… yes sir." Link mumbled.

With that the matter was settled for André. He knew he expected a lot. He also knew his boy. He would do well.

Link wasn't so sure. But he would pull through until the princess' entourage came to take his mind of things.


	3. Dark Encounters

Chapter 3:

Sir Russel had delivered on his threat. Link was to run for 10 kilometres each day before the training session. And it wasn't to be a leisurely jog either. To meet the old slave driver's target time he had to damn near spring. Combined with the summer heat he was quickly drenched in sweat. To make matters worse, as one round around the village was only about 1 kilometre, he passed the same people at work several times. He felt like they all watched him, judging and he felt like an idiot. While he normally liked exerting himself, this seemed so mindless. If he had any breath left he would have cursed the entire time. The only section of his round where he pulled himself together and feigned nonchalance was when he passed the laundry pool where the village girls were. He didn't know whether to be amused by their giggles about his sweat drenched exterior or worried.

"Jab and backstep! Jab and backstep! Quicker, boy!"

Sir Russel hadn't even given him a second to catch his breath. Link was gasping for air, he could barely hold his steel for all the sweat on his palm and his knees still felt wobbly from yesterday. But, to his surprise he felt rather exhilarated. He gave it his all, even though he had no idea where his all currently came from.

"Yes! Quicker! Now jab, sidestep strike! FEET!" his tormentor bellowed while sweeping Link's forward foot with his steel, quick as lightning. Link barely kept his balance but was immediately struck in the torso to destabilize him completely.

His ribs screamed and he wasn't at all sure that they were still in one piece.

"Sidestepping an attack doesn't mean you can forgo your guard, high or low. That is the beauty of this combat! To switch smoothly from offence to defence. That's why you…"

"…don't have a shield during the tourney, yes." Link finished the sentence, having heard it only, oh, a thousand times maybe?

"Quite. At least something is getting through to you. Up!"

Link struggled upright, taking a deep breath. He didn't know what it was today, but he felt better about this. He would train, he would do his best, and to hell with everything else!

"Good! Again!" the knight barked and got back into his fighting stance.

They circled each other a few seconds, locked into each other's gaze. Sir Russel would intentionally neglect his guard on some area of his body and Link had to notice and react. Jab, Sir Russel would counter, sidestep, strike and NOT neglect his own guard, damn it!

A late step on the old man's part, exposing his right and Link jabbed. The aging knight swatted his sword away and smoothly turned his sword's movement into a short overhead swing. Link dodged to his left and attempted a backhanded slash under his opponent's guard. The old man jumped closer, holding his blade so its grip blocked Link's sword hand, stopping his momentum painfully, and its tip rested at Link's cheek. "Defence and offence, boy. But you did better. Again!"

It continued. He looked forward to tomorrow's activities. If he got to see any of them, he thought a little contritely. Between working the forge, practicing, running and tomorrow's session, he'd hardly have time for anything. The image of him jogging through the princess' procession, sweaty and nearly dying, just passing her carriage and shouting a brief "Good day!" at the confused royal flashed in his mind. He had to stifle a laugh. The brief distraction awarded him a hearty swing on the arm.

"Wake up boy! How much do I have to lower my guard before you notice it?"

"Sorry. Thinking about princesses." He couldn't stop himself from saying as he rubbed his arm.

"You want her to think about you? Then win the bloody tournament!" the old man snarled.

Another giggle needed to be suppressed. Him winning the heart of the fair princess as he fought valiantly and ultimately triumphed in the junior tourney of swordmastery. Why not hand her a rose as he strutted around like a Rito during mating season? Or sing a ballad while playing on a lyre while he's at it?

"Get. Your head. Into the fight. Boy. Or screw it off and we'll see if you fight better without it!" his instructor growled.

Link regained his focus and narrowly dodged a high swing. He immediately jabbed, sidestepped the riposte and ran right into an immediate second attack aiming for his temple. For a moment he could only see stars flashing in front of his eyes.

He felt hands like bear paws grab him for stability.

As his vision returned he looked into Sir Russels steel blue eyes. He actually looked rather shocked. "Damn it, boy! Where was your guard? You can't let me hit you like that!"

Link had to stifle a grin. The old boy had briefly lost control and had been frightened for his student. The blow shouldn't have been this hard. But Link had a hard head, if nothing else.

The knight had conquered his initial shock. "I wanted to show you that you _always_ sidestep to the left. What did I tell you about being predictable? You have a considerable advantage being left handed, true. Most people aren't used to fighting a left handed swordsman. But you can't over-rely on it. You tend to always move to the left. Mix it up or any decent opponent will make you bleed for it."

"Are you alright?" he asked gruffly.

"Sure!"

"Then battle stance! And again!

Link wanted nothing more than to sink into his bed and be done with today. But tonight Marten, Ricco and he would finally meet again so he couldn't rest yet. Once he had washed the sweat and grime of today's session off of his body, he scuffled towards the (ugh…) Ord Dinnery where they were to meet.

The exhilarating feeling he had had was somewhat subdued due to his body aching everywhere. There was agony in spots he didn't even know could hurt. He knew his two friends would want to do something strenuous, either fencing or archery. Lovely, he thought grumpily. More punishment for my poor muscles…

Link entered the village square and, unsurprisingly, found both of his buddies already waiting. As usual, he had to suppress a giggle, seeing the two of them next to each other. Ricco, big and broad, mostly due to muscle mass rather than fat, stood there unshakably like a young Goron. To his side Marten, short and scrawny, twitching continuously as if he had a yellow Chuchu in his pants. Stoic stability versus nervous mobility. And Link right in the middle.

"Brothers!" Link exclaimed dramatically.

He could see Marten roll his eyes in anticipation of what would come next.

Ricco grinned toothily, took a deep breath and shouted "Brother! Blood of my fathers! Companion and aide in these trying times! What ails thee?"

"Oh just about everything, thank you!" Link replied with a grin of his own. "Oh, wait! I mean: My brother! Agony! Agony from the fire on my skin to the ache in my heart. I am undone, my…"

"Goddess, will you two stop?!" Marten interrupted, unable to hide his own smile. "I am already regretting meeting you"

"Alas, brother! Methinks our little one's mood sours at our innocuous jest!" Ricco shouted in mock indignation.

"Even the milk sours with your attempts at high prose." Marten grumbled. Then laughed and extended his hand. They gripped each other's forearm in greeting.

"How's training with the old bear going?" Marten asked.

Link should have expected the question, but it still rasped at his nerves. "He's relentless. He'll have ground me into dust weeks before the actual tourney."

"Ah well. You'll pull through. It has been a long time since I could beat you with a sword. Think about how good you'll be when he's done with you!" Marten supported his friend.

Link grumbled in return.

"Come on, boys, let's have a drink before we go." Ricco proposed.

"Where are we going anyway?" Link asked.

"Bow practice. It's been too long for you two. Do you even know how to hold a bow still?" Marten asked, earning a friendly tap from Ricco, which almost sent him flying.

"Some of us are working, you know?"

They sat down at one of the Dinnery's tables. The sun was setting. Most of Ord's visitors had either moved on or were resting at the inn, so only a few tables were occupied.

"So, do you want a beer or something stronger?" Ricco asked, deadpan.

"Stronger." Link hissed through gritted teeth as his bruised buttocks hit the hard wood of the seats.

"Lemon water it is!" Ricco agreed.

A few seconds later they all had their drink.

"Have you heard about the royal retinue that's supposed to come tomorrow?" Link asked.

"Sure! Wouldn't want to miss the princess, would we?" Ricco answered with an innocent smile.

"Yet another one of your legendary conquests, Ric?" Marten scoffed.

"Who knows? Think about it! She has only 4 more days of travel until she's home. Why would she stop here? There can be only one reason. She must have seen me in her dreams and is longing for my strong arms." Ricco purred.

Link snorted into his drink. Marten nearly choked with laughter.

"Forget about the princess, you letch. Knights, soldiers, guards, even servants! All with stories about the world! Just a tiny look away from this village, for once."

"Sure there's that. And the princess' ladies-in-waiting…" Marten raised his eyebrows conspiratorially.

Link sighed. "Sure. If there's time…"

"Come, brothers! Let's discuss this on the way. We should use the remaining daylight."

A few minutes later they were armed with their bows and were jogging towards their private archery range, which was little more than a clearing in the North Ord Wood. Daylight was almost gone now but that didn't really bother the three boys. Less light meant more relying on other senses.

"Right! I'll start. I'm aiming for that tree stump between the two beech trees." Marten said.

Link estimated the distance at about 50 metres. Not a bad start for the evening. Clearly, Marten wanted to show off a little.

The scrawny lad nocked an arrow and drew. Link was always fascinated at that process. The usually so twitchy boy was suddenly pure focus.

He let loose. The arrow flew a beautiful arc and thudded perfectly into the wooden target. Marten gave them a smug look.

"Pft. That's all you got?" Ricco scoffed. He drew, loosed and turned away as if a perfect hit was a matter of course. The arrow had other plans though. It overshot and hit the tree behind the stump.

"Please tell me the arrow actually hit." Ricco said. "That ' _thock'_ didn't sound right."

"Way off, big guy. You killed the innocent man behind your target!" Link grinned.

"Well, of course I did! Mart already took the easy one in the front. No use shooting the same Moblin twice, is there?" Ricco countered, always sharp-tongued.

"Yeah yeah. Let a grown up do the shooting." Link shouldered him aside.

"Oho _ho_! Now you better split Marten's arrow, grown up, or this child here will ram you into the ground."

Link focused on the target. He hadn't held a bow in weeks, but he didn't mind. He just hoped his arms wouldn't tremble when drew the string. He took a deep breath and drew. He loved that moment of maximum concentration. Everything seemed to slow down to a crawl. Only for an instant, but long enough to take aim.

Only him and the target.

But as he had feared, his right arm started trembling. He quickly loosed the arrow before his concentration faded. The arrow flew nicely, but he could soon see that it would miss its mark. It thudded into the wood a few inches to the right of Marten's arrow. Of course his mark had been his friend's projectile but he wasn't about to admit that now that he'd missed.

"Not too shabby. Still…" and Ricco grabbed Link put him in a headlock and rasped over his blonde head with his knuckles. He released him a few satisfying squeaks of pain later.

Marten was already preparing his next shot. "How about this?"

He aimed very high, almost vertically. His arrow flew an enormous ark and drilled deep into the very top of the stump.

"Already your best trick, Mart?"

"I have a few more."

Ricco tried next. They would probably never see that arrow again. Link was just glad it hadn't landed in his brains.

Link wasn't great at these shots. Direct shots he could shoot a fly from a Bokoblin's head without it noticing, but these high ones?

He got into position.

"Remember: picture the flight path in your mind first." Marten encouraged.

Link blew a strand of hair out of his face and drew. He fired a little prematurely, so not to evoke the tremble again. The arrow missed the stump, but not by much. Only about 30 centimetres, he reckoned.

"Surprising." He said aloud.

The three archers continued trying different exercised, occasionally pausing to collect their arrows. They briefly looked for the missing one, but soon gave up.

When they returned to the clearing it was almost completely dark. They continued practicing for another hour anyway. Link had excellent night vision, so his arrows were still grouped very tightly on the stump even when they increased the distance.

When they had shot all their arrows for the fourth time they decided to stop. Link and Mart waited for Ric to finish retrieving his arrows (he did have a bigger spray).

"Will you have time to watch tomorrow's procession?" Link asked.

"Hardly. I'm behind on my arrows as it is. As far as I heard the Princess just wants to rest anyway. So I doubt we'd get to see a lot of action. Apparently the mayor has nothing planned apart from an official reception." Marten divulged.

"Hmm. Shame. Don't really know what I expect. At least some sort of festivity, I guess." Link pondered.

"I wonder what she looks like…" Marten mused.

"Princess Zelda? She might be the most stunning creature to ever grace the earth. So what? What difference does it make?"

"Nightly activities."

"Nightly ac… come on, man!" Link for some reason felt a little offended.

"Oh now you care! I knew all that disinterest was insincere. Think she might notice you?" Mart teased.

"Sure! And the ringing of the wedding bells soon after!" Link made a bored face.

"Damn, thinking long term already, eh? Looks like Ricco's not the only one with plans for conquest. Ricco! You might have competition!"

They didn't hear any answer.

"Ric?" Link called.

He looked into the forest. Thanks to his good eyes, he spotted his friend 10 metres away, crouching and signalling with his hand to come over. Link wordlessly told Marten to follow. They both had an arrow at the ready, just in case.

When they had crept up to Ricco he signed them to lay low.

"What did you see?" Link whispered.

"Not sure. Movement. Glowing eyes, maybe. Heard the clank of metal."

A cold shiver ran down Link's back. Not good. He had never seen any dangerous beasts in his life. They simply didn't come into the heartlands of Hyrule. But Ric wasn't someone prone to overreaction.

He wanted to investigate, but knew that to be a dumb idea. "Move back. Mart lead the way, Ric check our sides, I'm watch the rear." He commanded.

The two others immediately did what they were told and they slowly snuck back towards the clearing. Once or twice Link thought he saw a tiny bit of movement in the underbrush, but that could have just been harmless critters. They were almost out on the glade when Ricco breathed "Stop."

He stared to Link's left, holding his breath.

They all saw a short, large headed creature with white horns and huge teeth almost glowing in the dark. Its glowing, yellow eyes darted around, apparently looking for something. A Bokoblin. About 10 metres away. They could only see one, but that was the problem. As far as they all knew, these creatures rarely moved alone.

Suddenly its gaze fixed on them. It grunted loudly and made a quick step in their direction.

Ricco breathed in sharply, Marten just stared.

Link stood up fully and drew his bow and aimed right at the creature's face. It stopped immediately, growling softly. Link set his jaw. He would shoot if the thing made a single suspicious twitch. Link saw it was armed with a club with crude nails sticking out of it. He fired. The arrow knocked the club cleanly out of the monster's hand. It gave a brief screech. Link, without missing a beat had re-drawn his bow. The next arrow would not be so benign.

The Bokoblin seemed to get the message and slowly retreated back into the forest. Slowly the glowing yellow dots became smaller. It seemed to take an eternity but when the thing was about thirty metres away, it turned and bolted. Link must have stood there, arrow at the ready, for at least 3 minutes. Now his tremble returned with a vengeance. He lowered his weapon and hissed a quick "Move!"

Almost stumbling over each other they hastened away. Everyone expected a sudden unnatural screech and an attack. But nothing came.

When they had finally reached Link's home, they stopped and breathed.

"A… fucking… Bokoblin?" Ricco wheezed.

"What is it doing… _here_? In the heartlands?" Marten gasped.

Link had no answer. He too was breathing heavily, but he was more preoccupied with the strange calm that had flooded him at the sight of the creature.

"No idea. But it was alone at least." He answered finally.

"How'd you know that?" Ricco questioned.

"We're still alive for one thing. And we didn't hear anything when we legged it. If any more had been in earshot, it would have screamed." He replied.

"A scout?" Marten asked as if Link had all the answers.

"Could be. But I've never heard of a single Bokoblin in these parts, let alone a whole group. I think it was alone. And even if it wasn't, I don't think it's particularly interested in us. We've heard of no attacks along the north road right? Why would they spare hundreds of miles of busy road and the occasional village to attack here?"

They thought about that.

Finally Marten asked "Why didn't you kill it?" There was no real reproach in his voice, more bafflement.

Link had thought about that the whole way back. "I… don't know. I just felt it was no real threat, I guess. Maybe I should have anyhow. I don't know."

He lay awake most of the night, still wondering if he had made a mistake.


	4. Royal Arrival

Chapter 4:

Link's father roused him early. He wanted to get as much work done as possible before today's arrival. He noticed that his son seemed more tired than usual, but paid it no mind. Spending the whole night with his friends didn't excuse him from work.

The boy awoke to a whole new world of aching. For a brief drowsy moment he wondered what he'd done to deserve that but then remembered his nightly excursions. Minutes of holding a bow taut bow and then a sprint back through the forest… "Yeah... that!" thought Link as he tried to get his spiteful limbs to move.

From André's open smithy Link had a pretty good view over the north road, so he periodically checked for any sign of a royal entourage. He was currently busy grinding arrowheads to form for which he was thankful, because it meant relatively little movement apart from propelling the whetstone. As a village smith his father mostly forged nails, horseshoes and arrowheads for the hunters. High quality swords and armour were not in high demand. Right now he was however he was working on a piece. It was still in its very early stages of hammering the steel to length, but the steel was of the best quality. Link didn't know who had commissioned it, probably some rich traveller when André had been at the village centre.

Between grinding, manning the bellows, holding the steel for his father and hurting the morning passed slowly. Link tried not to show discomfort, but suspected his father noticed anyway.

At approximately half past eleven they both heard a brief fanfare of royal brass. Father and son looked at each other briefly. André grumbled something unintelligible and went to reheat he now considerably elongated piece of steel. Link was about to jump up pump the bellows again when his father said: "Well, what are you waiting for? Wash and go to gawk. You did well today."

Link's smile appeared like sun breaking through a cloudy sky. He cleaned his workplace and tools as quick as he could.

He was about to run outside when his father called after him: "But don't miss training with Sir Russel or there'll be hell to pay, understand?"

"Understood!" Link shouted over his shoulder. By now he could already see them in the distance. The heat haze made it difficult to discern many details, but it looked like at least 5 carriages or wagons and dozens of escort soldiers.

He ran to the back of their house to clean himself of grime and sweat in the washing trough, grabbed a better tunic and trousers and jogged towards the small cobbled road that connected the village with the north road.

It looked like at least half of Ord's population had gathered along the way. Link looked out for any sign of his friends but couldn't find any. So he waited alone. He surveyed the crowd. Most men looked mildly interested, most women looked excited, the children delighted.

The whole procession sounded like small landslide, heavy boots, hooves and wheels thundering over the street, occasionally interrupted by fanfares. Combined with the rhythmic clanking of the knight's armour it made for quite a racket.

The front of the retinue was comprised of mounted knights with their squires behind them. After that a few soldiers with the brass horns that endeavoured to murder Link's eardrums. He felt sorry for the men directly in front of them, their heads must ring as if they'd been kicked by a horse. After the marching band was undoubtedly the royal carriage, a large wooden structure, painted in red, adorned with intricate carvings and plated with gold. It was drawn by 4 white horses with yellow plumes on their heads. The whole thing was probably the size of a poor man's house. Link made a disapproving face. Pomp and gaudiness… He wondered if little miss princess would find her modest quarters at the Dinnery at all adequate.

Apparently the others were less sceptical. The women were waving brightly coloured cloths in the air, shouting "Hooray! Long live the princess!" or some nonsense like that. Of course no one could look inside, wouldn't want to spoil poor Zelda's ivory skin with sunlight.

Link had to force himself to take a mental step back. He didn't know why he was so hostile against royalty. That was just as stupid as the mindless adoration the others were showing. Let's first see how she acts.

After the carriage followed two more subdued ones, probably for the ladies in waiting or political advisors. They were flanked by common soldiers, most of them on foot. Something felt a little off. He looked at the men's faces. All of them looked grim, some of them even worried. The air of tension over the whole procession didn't fit with entering a small peaceful village. Then Link remembered the lone Bokoblin and his eyes widened. Could they have had a run in with a group of them and he happened to find a straggler?

His theory found confirmation when he saw the last wagon, drawn by a single horse. A simple wooden wagon filled a layer of straw and covered by a white sheet. On top of that lay a simple shield and a spear. The general hubbub slowly died down to shocked silence as more and more people noticed. The caravan moved past and people looked after them with an almost stunned silence.

Link started to move away when his gaze fell on Marten, standing a dozen metres off.

Just by looking at his expression he could see that his friend had come to the same conclusion.

He tapped on his shoulder. "You thinking Bokoblins too?"

Mart only nodded.

Now Link definitely wanted to know what had happened, but he doubted the men would be very enthusiastic talkers after they had lost one of their own. He had an idea. "Come! Let's go see Ric!"

They jogged to catch up to the procession and managed to reach the tavern before the first knights entered the plaza. The mayor in his finest threads was waiting, sweat dotting his forehead. Only a few other representatives were present, among them Ricco's father, the owner of the Dinnery. Link spotted his big friend lurking in the main guest hall, standing to attention and moseyed over. Ricco gave a start when Link tapped him on the shoulder from behind. "What on earth are you doing here? Don't get me and my family in trouble!" he hissed.

"Don't worry. We'll leave. But there's something we've gotta tell you!" and he and Marten told the big guy what they had seen and the connection they had established to last night's encounter. Ricco listened with an earnest expression. "Bloody hell."

"Pretty much. You're in the best position to find something out. Someone is bound to talk about it, if only to warn the village." Link whispered urgently.

"Aye. Will do. Now go!" Ric ordered.

"Gone!" Link said with an evil smirk. He dashed past his friend and half up the stairs.

"The hell do you think you're doing? Come back!" Ricco spluttered.

Link turned around briefly. "Well, we're leaving! For your room! It's a pretty good vantage point, wouldn't you agree?" and ran off, Marten right behind him.

"You bloody horse's arse, get back here or I'll…" But at that moment the first mounted knights entered the plaza and Ric had to swallow his rage.

Link and Marten entered Ric's chamber, barely more than a broom cabinet for the large boy, and looked through the closed window. If they didn't move too much they would probably be unseen while being able to see decently well themselves.

The knights rode onto the plaza, closely followed by the royal carriage and one of the simpler ones.

One of the knights, an older man on a dark brown horse bellowed with an impressive voice. "County-village of Ord! Hear! Her royal highness, Princess Zelda of the high house of Hyrule, has elected your esteemed home to be her host for this night!" Even the windows rattled when this guy shouted. No wonder he was the herald.

Mayor Boro, Ricco's uncle, stepped forward. He gave a pretty good show, considering he was hopelessly out-shouted.

"Our humble village of Ord offers its full hospitality to her royal highness and her company! Long may her name be sung in praise! We are her servants for as long as she commands!"

Link scowled at that debatable pleasantry. He noticed that by now many of the gawkers had followed and were standing on the various ways into the plaza, keeping their distance.

"Diiiis-MOUNT!" The herald barked. In near perfect unison the knightly guards got off their horses and moved out of the way. The carriage was led a little closer the tavern's entrance. Link could see the mayor having an animated discussion with the herald, probably about procedure, etiquette, expectations etc. He watched them for any signs in their body language of talking about more important matters. He couldn't watch long however because soon the carriage blocked their view.

A few knights formed a corridor from the coach to the Dinnery's entrance. Link spotted Ricco's father listening intently to a hastily gesticulating man in fine robes. Probably a steward tasked with making her royalness' sojourn bearable, thought Link.

The carriage door was opened and a wooden step was laid in front of it. Link shifted so he could better see inside. The carriage was close to the house, so he didn't learn much. A head of golden blonde hair appeared, framing a pale forehead. Two pointy ears jutted out of the golden flood. Unfortunately that was all he could see. The princess' face eluded him. He took note of her dress, however. White linen, fine stuff, but definitely not as ostentatious as he had expected.

He hopped down, all but ignoring the step and marched into the inn. Immediately there was a flock of ladies-in-waiting following her like chicks a mother hen.

"Not too bad of an entrance." Link said aloud.

Marten made affirmative face and nodded, but motioned for Link to be silent. He carefully lied down to press his ear against the floor.

Link followed his example. The voices from below were muffled, but audible.

"…can see, this… tavern will remain empty apart from your honoured self and your maids." The sycophantic voice of the steward, no doubt.

A high, clear voice answered him: "I do not wish to intrude upon this man's business. Allow him serve his customers down here at least!"

"Alas, my princess, that is not possible. It would pose too many risks for your security."

Now they could hear the sound of people ascending the steps. Link silently moved to press his ear against the door to the corridor.

The steward again. "My lady, would you not rather remain in the carriage. These may be good, honest people, true, but this is hardly a suitable accommodation for one such as you!"

Link would have loved nothing more than to kick this buffoon in the nethers. He made "good and honest" sound like an insult.

"I would not. I do not wish to speak of this to you again, Lord Gorridan. See to the funeral preparations." There was an almost dangerous undertone in her voice, which he could hear a little better now. Link rather liked it.

"Of course, your highness." The steward snivelled and stomped back the way he came. Shortly afterwards there was a bustle of activity in and around the princess' chambers. The Dinnery's guestrooms were all separated by doors that were usually locked, but could be opened if a higher class of customer came. Thanks to that clever bit of architecture the princess and her flock of hens had a whole floor at her disposal.

They could hear servants haul crate upon crate up onto the first floor.

"Well that was fun and all, but how will we get out now?" Marten asked. That question had crossed Link's mind. He thought about it for a second.

"Because I don't want to cause an uproar with a lot of grumpy knights around… or do you suggest dressing up as washer-women and sneaking out?" Marten added.

Link looked up, a grin forming on his face. Marten hated that face…

He looked under the door, checking that nobody was right in front and opened it ever so slightly. He could see the whole corridor plugged up with stuff that the ladies were distributing among the rooms. Bingo!

"Follow my lead!" Link whispered and to Marten's shock opened the door in one swift motion. He stepped outside grabbed Mart and none too gently shoved him over to a basket filled with clothes. "Bring that back down, boy! The laundry is done downstairs, of course. Come on, chop-chop!" Link ordered gruffly. When Marten only stared he said in a more menacing tone. "Take. The basket. Downstairs. Now."

Mart reacted, a little belatedly, and hoisted the large basket on his shoulder. Thankfully the nights had fled the upper floor so they wouldn't stand in the way. Or so they didn't have to work, Link thought. The few servants and maids barely looked up at them, they were so busy. He almost pushed Mart downstairs, where he led him through the laundry to the back door. When they were out of sight Marten put the basket down. "What now?"

"Now we bolt!"


	5. Maidenly Dealings

Chapter 5:

They quickly walked away from the tavern. Running would have been a little too conspicuous. The lads stopped after a couple corners.

"Damn! I nearly wet myself when you opened that door. That was so stupid, I can't believe that worked."

"Was it too stupid or just stupid enough though?" Link, the philosopher asked.

"Whatever. Do we double back to the plaza?"

"Hmmmm. No, not right now. Let them forget about us first. We stay out of sight of the tavern at least." Link mused.

"Right. I'll skirt around the soldier camp, see if I can talk to them at all."

"Good idea. Let's try to meet Ric in the evening when the bustle has died down."

And with that they separated.

Link had no idea what to do now. His sword lessons wouldn't begin for another couple of hours and it wasn't even dinner time yet. After a brief pondering session he decided to go back to the tavern anyways, albeit carefully. When he reached the corner from where he could see the back entrance, he was surprised to see a few young maids standing around on the street. They were chatting in hushed voices. They all wore pretty much the same gowns. Black skirt with white blouse, a silver brooch in the shape of the royal crest, signifying their "importance", and a bonnet with white cloth hiding their hair.

Link thought about what talking to them might reveal about the attack they had apparently suffered. Not that much, he concluded, but wanted to try anyway.

He straightened his tunic and brushed his hair out of his face with his fingers. At least he, for once, didn't look like something the cat dragged in. He put on his best winning smile and strutted around the corner.

As soon as one of the young women spotted him, she silenced the others and all of them looked at him fixedly.

Talk about scrutiny, Link thought. "Please don't be alarmed. My name's Link and I…"

Through the open back door he spotted yet another maid cowering in the shadows. She too noticed him looking at her and motioned for him not to give her away.

He turned his attention back to the ladies. "… I must ask for your help in answering an important question. What are your names?"

They looked a little less standoffish. Apparently the "asking for help" line had hooked them.

"What do you want?" the oldest asked. She was at least thirty and her face told Link everything he needed to know about her. Everything about her expression said: "No distance on this earth compares to how much you are below me."

Link noted with a certain satisfaction that the younger ones looked at him with at least some interest.

"Very well, to business. While on a venture through the north forest, I happened upon a slain animal. A boar. I will spare you the details, of course, but no local animal or resident would have left such a mess. People are worried. I am tasked to shed light into this conundrum." He talked fast and like a noble to prey upon their serfdom-reflexes. "You might help in this endeavour. Have you, during your travel, heard of anything pertaining to such an attack?"

He knew he got them. At least the young ones. The older woman still looked sceptical but, Link suspected, enjoyed the opportunity to be important.

"Have you talked to the knights?" she snarled.

"Not yet madam." She liked the "madam".

"They seemed busy and the soldiers seemed grieving. I understand they lost a man?" The maid's face showed what she thought about soldiers.

"They have. Tragic, of course. A good man, I'm told."

Yes, thought Link sarcastically, I'm sure everybody tells _you_ what they think. She definitely wanted to be important. Time to set the trap.

"I will of course have to speak to the knights in due time. But I thought it wise to inform myself beforehand at a reliable source and so I come to you, madam. Will you assist you in this grave matter?"

Her expression changed to conceited in an instant.

"Very well, young man. I shall tell you what you seek. Of course, I don't make a habit of speaking to soldiers, but one in my position needs to keep up with the happenings in the camp, you understand." she huffed.

"I fully understand, madam!" Link understood.

"It is a scandal, really, so I trust in your discretion. We were attacked! By snarling, slavering, screeching monsters!"

"Bokoblins!" said one of the girl-maids, happy that she could contribute. She beamed at him. At least until she caught the withering stare of her older colleague.

"As I was saying…" she returned her attention back to Link. "… Monsters! While travelling on the King's road, no less! The knights fought bravely and were victorious. We owe them our lives."

"The knights" Link noted. Not the soldiers, even though one of the soldiers had died for them. He liked this woman less and less. At least she was now liking the tone of her own voice.

"I of course did not wish to know all the gruesome details!"

Of course, thought Link.

"I merely _overheard_ them saying that, while they got most of them, one of the beasts could flee. Dreadful, dreadful business." She concluded her deliberations.

"I see. I can see you came to the conclusion that our occurrence in the woods might have been caused by one of those stragglers." Link ventured conspiratorially.

"What? Oh! Yes, yes of course! That must be it. There is simply no alternative that _I_ can see."

"Brilliant! I thank you from the bottom of my heart, even if the news is troubling." Link said demurely.

"You are most welcome, young sir."

"The poor princess. She was so sad when she heard of the dead soldier." The smallest maid sniffled. She was eleven at most.

"Kitty! No talk about the princess!" the older woman snapped.

"Was she?" Link asked and damn near bit his tongue. Stupid! But the old battleaxe seemed unperturbed.

"Yes, the princess felt responsible. She took the boy's death to heart. She is young." She sighed. As if that was a mistake!

Link caught another glimpse of the hiding maid through the open door. She looked at him imploringly.

He looked back at the woman. "Madam, you have been a great help, but I must not further intrude upon your time. I apologize if I have caused you ladies any inconvenience." And he smiled into the group, which earned him a few giggles.

"Apology accepted, young man. We will return to our duties. Come, girls!"

She strode through the back door, the girls following single file. One or two of them bestowed him with a little smile.

He watched them disappear around the corner inside the tavern.

He waited a few seconds.

"You can come out now." He said, amused.

The maid scrambled out of her hidey-hole by the large trough. She wiped her hands off of dust and looked at link gracefully. She had beautiful sky-blue eyes.

"Let me guess: you are skipping work." Link said with a sly smile.

She looked up, her expression angry for a second. Then it softened into a tiny smile of her own. "You might say that…"

"What's your name?"

"Sally."

"I am Link. I can't blame you wanting to get away from that old dragon."

She seemed to try keeping her face neutral but her mouth twitched into another brief smile. "She can be… domineering. She certainly keeps bossing me around."

Link guessed her age must be about the same as his. Even with the hair hiding bonnet, it was easy to see that she was beautiful.

"Well. Thank you, Link, for keeping my presence a secret. I will be going." She announced, suddenly almost haughty.

"Would my lady need a guide through this most sinister of villages?" Link asked playfully. Suddenly conversing with the knights was no longer a priority.

She seemed unsure what to answer. "And who tells me you are not at the heart of all that is sinister?"

"Nobody. But I know I certainly look like I might be." He said with his most angelic expression. "What does your female intuition tell you?"

"To keep away from strange men and their questionable intentions." She folded her arms and seemed to pierce him with her big eyes.

"Noble words from someone shirking her work to go out. What would your intentions be, then?" he countered, mimicking her pose.

She raised her dark eyebrow. "Touché. Possibly I am just as wicked as you, sir."

"If that is your whole potential for wickedness, I highly doubt it."

They looked at each other for a few seconds, wondering what to say.

Then they laughed.

When they had both calmed down again, Sally conceded: "Very well, then. Show me the wonders of Ord village, o mischievous one!"

Link had a brief internal "YES" moment. "Excellent. What can I show in so little time? The bold architectural marvels? The landscape in its fascinating beauty? Old Bruno lying drunk in the gutter? What can I show that you have not seen before?"

She curled her lips. "Pfff! You would be surprised how little you get to see in the princess' retinue. Cooped up all day looking after someone else!"

She let herself be lead away by Link. "At least you get to travel, see some parts of the world. The farthest I can hope to get is Hyrule city a couple of times in my life. It's so boring here."

"What?" she looked at him incredulously. "You can do anything here! I sit in that carriage, day in, day out with all these women nattering pointlessly and, above all, endlessly. And in the Hyrule city it is not much different. That is what I call boredom!"

Link had no good comeback to that, it did sound pretty dreadful.

He led them away from the village towards the open field. Almost all people would still be gawking at the plaza anyway.

"What do you do all day anyway?" she asked, genuinely interested.

"Blacksmith's apprentice. My father is teaching me." Link winced a little: "And in the evenings I train for the junior tourney of swordmastery."

She looked at him, astounded. "Truly? Not too many from outside the city participate… I've heard."

Link looked at her with a raised eyebrow. She really had gorgeous eyes.

She looked away again. He couldn't be sure, but he thought he saw a tiny bit of blushing on her smooth cheek.

He felt himself blush and too looked back at where he was going.

"You hear a lot."

"I can't help it. The princess takes an interest in swordplay and sometimes talks about it. Sometimes I think I'm the only one who cares to listen."

"Why would the princess care about something like sword fighting? Doesn't she have needle work or something?" Link scoffed before he could stop herself. Sally seemed to at least have some respect for her charge.

And, as he feared, she stopped, her hands on her hips and glared at him. "Now listen here, you! First off, why shouldn't the princess be interested? It's the only damn exciting event where she has any roll to play ALL YEAR. Secondly, the princess is proficient with a blade herself, according to Hyrule family tradition. Thirdly, I will graciously ignore your imbecilic last comment, but only this once!" she spoke loudly and harshly. She was actually rather scary, fury glinting in her eyes, her full lips pressed together so they were white.

Link immediately raised his hands placatingly. "I apologize. I did not mean to be disrespectful. I spoke without thinking." He said sincerely. He had no interest in enraging this girl. But why would she be so indignant about an admittedly tasteless but ultimately harmless jibe?

"Hmph!" she hmphed. She seemed to calm down somewhat. Now she actually looked a bit sheepish, as if her outburst left her embarrassed. "I accept your apology. Under one condition…"

"Anything, my lady!" He bowed in mock subservience.

"I want to see your smithy."

"Huh? Why?" he wondered.

"I have never seen one before. _Anything, my lady_!" she mocked him.

"Very well. Follow closely, so you don't get lost in Ord's milling crowd."

Link led his new acquaintance toward his house. The one or two villagers they encountered threw them interested looks, but Sally didn't seem to notice, thankfully. The problem with living in a place where everyone knew everybody.

After their little quarrel their conversation had died off and had left a rather awkward silence. Link was determined to break it.

"How good is princess Zelda with a sword, I wonder?" he ventured.

"No idea. She has received lessons, but no one would actually fight her, of course. And who would really tell her the truth, if she was bad at it?"

"I suspect you might." He chanced.

"Me? I don't think I know enough to accurately tell!" she exclaimed.

He was silent for a moment.

"I think I would like to see a princess fight." He mused at last.

"Oh would you. I am sure a private audience can be arranged for that!" she said, sarcasm dripping from her voice.

"Now don't be so standoffish, please! I didn't mean that in jest. I am genuinely interested now. From swordsman to swordswoman." said Link, getting a little bit irritated himself. Who does she think she is, the princess' governess?

Sally sighed, and mumbled "I'm sorry. You see, she would probably actually enjoy that."

All of a sudden, the girl seemed sad.

"What is she like? The princess, I mean?" he asked softly.

She seemed conflicted, her face betraying many different thoughts clashing in her head. "It's not really my place to say. But she is eager to learn. She feels that she knows nothing at all about her people, what they do, how they think, what they want. She does not want to be one of these _nobles_ that think their position is divine right."

Her voice revealed genuine disgust.

A tiny suspicious thought arose in Link's mind. This girl is more than she seems. Possibly _a lot_ more. But could that truly be?

"So she would, for example, want to learn the inner workings of a smithy?"

The girl stopped instantly and stared at him, wide-eyed. Link didn't know how to look back. Mildly? Neutrally? Inquisitively? He went for friendly interest.

Sally seemed to compose herself and relaxed a bit. She looked down at her own feet. "I think you got me." She said.

Now Link went wide eyed. "You are…"

She interrupted "The princess sends me out in maid's clothing whenever we stop travelling. I am to find out more about her people, talk to them, learn how they think and tell her all that I've garnered. She really is interested in a lot of topics and reading books isn't enough. I hope you're not mad." She gave him the puppy look.

Damn it, but those eyes are stunning, thought Link. "I am not mad. But why the masquerade?"

"Always the same reason. Who would talk honestly to a princess? Or even the envoy of a princess? A maid however…" she let it unfinished.

Link definitely wasn't sure whether he believed her. For a maid sent to be an inconspicuous gatherer of information she had done a relatively poor job, getting irate so easily. But could this girl really be… It was too fantastical a thought to be true. But still… He would look for evidence, not just flimsy suspicions. He wasn't sure what he'd do once he was certain about her identity. What _would_ he do? No one would believe him, of course. And he started to like this girl…

"Well, better show you the smithy, then. My father will be out now anyway, so there should be no uncomfortable questions. For either of us…" he added.

Her face lightened up considerably. She awarded him a radiant smile that nearly knocked him out of his socks. "Thank you!"

And she skipped past him.


	6. Joyous Soot and Mournful Fire

Chapter 6:

The last 3 hours were a blur. Link slowly and silently walked back towards the village centre.

"Sally" and he had arrived at the blessedly empty smithy and he had shown her around. At first he thought he would just have to explain everything cursorily while she stood awkwardly in the middle, afraid of touching anything because of all the dust and soot. But no! She wanted to touch everything, know everything. He could hardly stop her from jumping head first into the coal room. Within minutes her delicate hands were so grimy, every blacksmith would have been proud. When he commented on that, she just said: "So? Nothing that can't be washed off." He had to bite back a comment on that not being very "princess-like".

He showed her the workings of the bellows, explained what kind of steel they were using, the general method of working it with tongs, hammers, cutting tools and whetstones, described the hardening process and tempering… everything, really. From some of the questions she asked he could tell that she had done some reading on the subject. He jokingly asked if she wanted to blow the bellows, expecting a scoffing remark. Instead she had jumped to it as if she had waited all her life to hear that question. Her squeal of delight when a big cloud of ash erupted from the cool forge was irresistibly cute.

He had shown her his father's work. He always kept a few finished swords in case someone wanted to buy immediately. She had held one of the blades that had about the right dimensions for her, but she gave nothing away about being able to use it. Drat.

After he had shared pretty much all his knowledge with her, they had separated. She had said that she had to return to the princess to tell her all she had learned. Link hesitated only for a second before asking when they could meet again.

She had thought intently for a long moment. She seemed to get sadder every second.

Finally "Sally" had answered: "Tomorrow, hopefully. Before we leave for the city. I don't know if I'll be allowed to." then she had nearly run the way back to the tavern.

Link's head buzzed with all that had happened. He was at that delightful stage of not knowing whether he had made a complete fool of himself. And then there was the whole mystery about Sally's identity.

Had he really, truly just spent half a day with the princess of this country?!

The thought was absurd. Ludicrous. Moronic. And yet… His gut feeling told him that he was right.

On the other hand, he had been so bored lately, that maybe he just wanted it to be true, purely for the excitement. He wasn't sure. He promised himself he would find out, or he's probably never be able to sleep again. Even if he had to ask her straight up, the next time he saw her. If there was a next time… the thought wrenched his stomach a little bit.

Wait… stomach?

Goddesses above, he had skipped dinner! He, Link Andrésson, had skipped a meal! And he was already at the old Knight's gate for his lessons! Din's fire, what was happening to him?!

You know perfectly well, what's happening to you, a nasty little voice giggled in his mind.

He sighed. Well, this session would suck too, it seemed.

He stepped through the gate and onto the training square, when he had another gut wrenching thought. He had forgotten to run his 10 kilometres! He actually facepalmed. Well, this session would suck exceptionally.

At that moment Sir Russel exited his house, dressed in full, polished armour. Link was taken aback. The old bear _never_ wore that, why would he now?

The knight only now noticed Link standing in the square. He looked surprised and a little shocked. "Nayru's Wisdom, what are you doing here? Did André not tell you?"

Link shook his head, befuddled. "Apparently not."

"The funeral, boy. It's in a few minutes! It wouldn't be proper if I were to miss it. Wouldn't be proper for you, either. I asked André to tell you that I'll make it up to you tomorrow morning. You are excused from work. An hour after sunrise, here at the square. Don't forget your running." And with that last barked order, he was off.

Link was momentarily nonplussed. Then he remembered the dead soldier at the back of the caravan. He had meant to ask Sally about that, but had completely forgotten.

He hastened after the knight and walked beside him.

"Where were you that you missed your father the whole day, anyway? Because I do not think André would forget to relay a message." Sir Russel grumbled.

"I spent the whole afternoon with a girl." was what he didn't say. He'd rather fight the old man with real weapons than admit that. Instead he settled for "Observing the royal retinue."

"Gawking, you mean. Ah well, can't really fault you for that." He mumbled.

"Sir, why are they staging the soldier's funeral here? He wasn't someone of this village." Link wanted to know.

The old knight sighed. "The lad was from Hyrule city, aye. It's four more days travel. The body would keep poorly in this heat. It wouldn't do. But they also didn't want to just bury him in a ditch in the middle of nowhere. Trust me, that doesn't feel right either. Next best thing is to hold a funeral somewhere within civilization and offer the lad's ashes to his next of kin. It's not enough. But what is?"

Link heard a lot from the man's sad tone of voice. He had been in that situation. Possibly more than he could imagine. And the peace in the heartlands of Hyrule was not indicative of the goings-on in the wilder parts, Link knew.

They walked the rest of the way in silence. In the fields west of Ord was the gathering. Ord's 82 inhabitants flanked by about 25 knights and about 100 soldiers. In the front were the few noble dignitaries that accompanied the retinue, attended by about 80 servants, Link estimated.

In the centre of the semicircle they formed was a large pyre. It was high enough that the body could only just be seen.

Sir Russel marched off to join the knights with a curt "Tomorrow, then."

Link looked for his friends. Luckily, Ricco was usually easy to spot in a crowd. Marten was beside him, as expected.

"I wondered when you'd show up. I had hoped that maybe they had caught you and you were fodder for the dogs." Ricco grumbled as greeting, still a bit miffed about Link's earlier stunt.

"Yeah, sorry about that. But hey! No trouble for any of us, right?" Link said conciliatory.

"For once." Ricco growled. But Link could tell he already mostly calmed down.

"Was there even any point to your little excursion? I thought you mainly wanted to talk to noble knighthood…"

"Well, it was definitely interesting. I'm sure Marten has told you all about it." Link deliberately kept it vague, so he didn't have to mention his afternoon activities. That hope was dashed when Marten cooed: "Sure. But why don't you mention the young lady that you so expertly ensnared? I saw you ambulate away into the fields."

Ricco was all over that saucy bit of news. "Oh?! Did our Linky have a _pleasant_ afternoon?"

Link's temper flared at the suggestive implication and it showed in his eyes. "Careful." He just said calmly and ice cold. It was not his own honour he was defending, though… mostly.

The two immediately retreated and raised their hands placatingly. "Sorry, brother. We didn't mean… you know. It was just teasing. Nothing serious." Ricco apologized sincerely.

Link still had to laboriously control his temper but didn't want to cause a fight with his friends. "No offence taken." He said, his voice very clearly indicating that that topic was off limits.

They were silent for awhile. Link didn't miss Ric and Mart's brief questioning glance at each other.

When Link had finally subdued his heart rate, he asked: "So Mart, did you find out anything with the soldiers?"

He shrugged. "Hardly. They understandably weren't in the mood for talking. I didn't want to pry or they might have gotten aggressive. But they are seriously shocked about what happened. Definitely don't mention that, you know…" and he lowered his voice considerably. "…that you let that thing go. They'd skin you alive."

"Hadn't planned on it. Knowing what I do now, I probably wouldn't have spared it."

Ricco chimed in: "I overheard that Lord Gorridan talking with one of the knights, the herald. He wanted to keep the reason for the soldier's death a secret from the village. Would reflect badly on the king, he said. The knight, exceedingly politely, told him to sod off. It happened a day's voyage away, so he had already told uncle Boro."

Link shook his head at the world in general.

At that moment the crowd suddenly silenced. The princess was walking over the fields in her simple but figure-enhancing white dress. She had a black sash tied around her waist and her hair was bound tightly with a black ribbon. She walked with her head bowed, so Link again couldn't see her face clearly.

He looked around. Everybody's gaze followed her every step. He couldn't really blame them. The princess was flanked by two servants and two knights. All of them looked sombre but determined.

When she had reached the pyre she gave a short, hushed command. One of the lords jumped up and made for the princess, but she just shot him a withering glance and he sat back down. At that moment Link was all but certain that she was Sally. Those eyes, even when they were momentarily filled with rage, were the same. The two knights had by now placed a wooden ladder against the pyre.

There was a brief perplexed murmuring from the crowd when Zelda herself was climbing up. The princess doing funeral rites for a lowly soldier?

Link looked at the soldiers. While they had previously been bent with grief, now they all stood pridefully straight, staring intently at their lady.

She stood over the body, bent down and placed two coins on his eyes and one on his mouth. Three coins, one for each goddess, forming an upside down triangle, signifying death.

She then removed the black sash from her hips, and spread it over the dead soldier, like a blanket. After a moment of concentrated looking that she hadn't made any mistakes, she clambered back down.

She stood in front of the pyre, at the centre of attention.

"We, who have gathered here, to bid farewell to this man, stand now as guardians over his passing." She intoned, her voice shaky in the beginning, but getting stronger as she continued. "Thodric Theosson, called Thod, has perished, his soul returned to the realm above. He was a brave man, gave his life to save another man. For this I honour him. He was a selfless man, gave his life to protect a princess he had never met. For this I thank him. He was loved man, liked and respected by the men and women that were his peers. For that I love him. He was only nineteen…" She said and her voice very nearly cracked.

"I ask you, all of you, to be his family today. Honour him as if he were your son, your brother. Let your kindness be what guides him to the heavens."

And with that, she closed her prayer.

If Link had heard her words yesterday, he would have felt like applauding sarcastically. "Bravo, good show, you almost had me convinced that you give a damn!" he would have thought. Now he was not at all sure what to think. She had clearly informed herself on the lad. Her prayer had not been generic mumbo jumbo. And she had herself performed the rites, which was practically unheard of. This was the same girl that had bustled about in his smithy, not afraid to get her hands dirty. He was sure of it now. She had changed her voice just slightly, when she had been with him, a tiny bit deeper and huskier. Her real voice was high and clear, like a mountain rivulet in which the rays of the sun reflected.

Link made a slightly bemused face. Where had that flowery analogy come from?

He took one more glance at the soldiers. A lot of those hardened men and women had rather dewy eyes. They couldn't have stood more to attention if they tried.

Princess Zelda was offered a torch. She took it and turned towards the pyre. Another torch was held by the herald knight, a third by one of the soldiers. As one, they lightened the straw under the wood. The fire caught quickly and soon it was completely ablaze. Zelda had taken a few steps back and was now standing off to the side, alone. True, she was still accompanied by servants and flanked by her two knights, but Link felt that she was alone.

There were no more doubts in his mind. She had been that brilliant girl he had spent the afternoon with. He didn't know what to think of that. No matter how he turned it, it got complicated.


	7. Shame, Fury and Determination

Chapter 7:

Link woke up to next morning's cock-crow. Once again he had slept little, due to the death watch taking until midnight. But even then his head had abuzz with thoughts.

He washed, dressed in his battle armour (his oldest, most tatty tunic) and grabbed bread and butter from the kitchen. He was still famished from last night and wolfed it down. His mother needed only a brief look to tell that he was still barely awake. She gave him a sympathetic look, but ultimately couldn't help.

Link grabbed his training sword, walked outside, cursed heartily under his breath and started running. Even though it was barely daytime, it was already sweltry outside. Still, his overworked muscles needed a few turns around the village before they mellowed. At one point, after the 7th lap he had to stop briefly to catch his breath. His throat was dry as dirt and he needed to cough. He actually felt rather sick.

He took a few deep breaths and continued, suppressing the queasy feeling in his stomach. Nayru's mercy, he was an idiot! Why the hell had he eaten so much?! He must have devoured a whole loaf! It certainly felt like it, bouncing as he ran.

He did his 10 laps and reached the square, sweating and wheezing. He once again wondered why he actually put up with all that idiocy.

Sir Russel walked up to him and yanked him upright. "Pull yourself together, boy! What should our guest think of you, bent double like an old woman?"

Guest?!

Link looked up and saw a young man on the other side of the square. Older than him, but not by much, dark shoulder long hair and a slightly amused expression on his face. Link's bastard-sensors woke up to survey the situation.

He mustered his strength and tried to control his breath.

Sir Russel introduced them: "Link, this is Halvor of House Korneil. He squires for Sir Craster, an old friend of mine. He agreed to act as your training partner for today. Halvor, this is Link, my charge."

The squire slowly approached him and extended his hand. Link gripped his forearm, as did he, but only very briefly.

Sir Russel continued "Young Halvor will be competing in the regular tourney of swordmastery, so try to learn as much as you can."

Currently, Link tried as much as he could not to burp. Right now he hated the old man for bringing this unwanted guest.

"Why don't you two begin with a bit of sparring, so you get to know each other?"

"Sure, why not?" Halvor sing-songed and turned away to take his place across the square.

Link bent towards his mentor. "Why did you have to bring this… guy." he restrained himself at the last second.

"Because I haven't been in the city for years. I don't know what nasty little tricks they have since come up with, or how their fighting style changed. This is our chance to learn before the actual tourney." The old bear grumbled.

While that did, of course, make sense to Link, he still was none too happy.

He took a few deep breaths and assumed his fighting stance.

"Standard rules, light hits only. Combatants, begin!" Sir Russel bellowed.

Halvor hadn't moved an inch. He was waiting with a tiny smile playing on his noble lips. He is not taking me seriously, thought Link. Let's see if we can't change that.

He made a few careful steps forward. He noticed his opponent was left handed too. That would be interesting. He also saw that he held his steel a little to the left, opening up his right side. That had to be a trap, it was too obvious. But why not used that?

Link feinted a jab for the right, crouched down and turned his attack into a rising slash.

Halvor sidestepped impossibly quick, deflected his attack and used the gained momentum to smack Link's cheek on his way back up. "Dead." Before Link could retaliate he had already jumped out of range.

It hadn't been a hard hit, just enough to sting, but it wasn't meant to be. It was only meant to humiliate him, to put him in his place, slapped like a child. He forced his temper down. Rage wouldn't help him much. What had he seen? This boy was quick and lithe, similar to himself. The old bear, while quick, had a much heavier hand.

The one he knew that came closest, was Mart. Alright, let's change tactics.

He bent over a little more, like a cat, ready to pounce. Halvor caught it immediately and did the same. Still that grin, Link thought. Suddenly the squire attacked, two wide swings chained together to get him to backpedal, followed by a flurry of quick jabs and stabs. Link barely parried all of them. He tried turning his last deflect into a low sweep, targeting his opponent's forward foot. However, Halvor just raised his leg for just enough time to allow Link's steel to pass harmlessly and used his own sword to crack down on Link's head. "Dead." The boy sang.

Link's vision swam a little bit, adding to the rising wave of nausea. Light hits, my arse! He knew he couldn't win. In the tourney he would have to hit him tree times, while that buffoon only had to hit him once more. But he'd be damned if he'd let that guy win _with this bloody grin on his face_.

Once again he fought down queasiness and thought about their last bout. Twice he had attacked that bastard low and it hadn't worked. He however had only ever attacked high. He remembered what Sir Russel had said the other day. Don't react but know the course of battle as if you were led by divine hand, or some such. Despite feeling like he might fall over, he tried to get a feel for his opposite. He saw each step again, reviewed each of his reactions in just a second.

He had a plan. He only had to manage the execution…

He dashed forward into a flurry of his own. The sudden attack had surprised Halvor and he actually took a step back. But he quickly rallied and entered into a quick mêlée of steel. Link knew he couldn't keep up for long so he lunged forward into another rising slash. Halvor once again sidestepped and brought his own blade down to meet Link's face. This time however the younger boy stepped at the same time in the same direction but kept the momentum from his lunge. He dove under the downwards swing, half-sworded his blade and rammed it upwards under the squires armpit, who yelped in pain and surprise. But he wasn't done. He spun around so he stood behind his enemy, released his highly held blade with his right and executed a quick downward strike. Halvor spun around himself. Link's blade hit him only on the shoulder and he had just enough time to duck his head away from the older lad's brutal horizontal swing.

Still: two to two!

Link saw with great satisfaction that the squire's grin had miraculously vanished, making room for a hostile snarl. He worked his shoulder. Two hits, one from below, one from above on the same joint. That must've hurt.

However, Link's brief elation was somewhat curbed by another wave of nausea. The exertion and sudden manoeuvres were not well received in his bowels. He had to stifle another burp, swallowed sour spit and felt faint.

Too late he noticed Halvor's nasty grin.

The older boy stepped so Link was between him and Sir Russel and carried out a few long hard strikes that Link just so managed to deflect. Suddenly the squire shortened the distance, gripped his sword handle with both hands and rammed it into Link's stomach. Link doubled over and his chin was met with Halvor's elbow. Finally the young noble hopped back and drove his dull tip into Link's solar plexus.

Link went to his knees and vomited violently. Between seemingly endless waves he heard a sweet voice exclaim. "Oh really now. I didn't hit that hard!"

The shame hit Link twice as hard as Halvor's slashes ever could. Hurling like a chump, right in front of his teacher.

To make matters worse, Sir Russel bent down with him, held his hair out of his face and steadied him. "It's alright. Out with it all."

"I do apologize." Halvor piped. "It must be the heat! Don't hold it against him, Sir Russel. He is still young, after all."

This rotten arsehole! Link shook with rage. If his stomach didn't still convulse he would have jumped this bastard and smashed his head in.

"You may go, Halvor. I will have a word with your protector." Sir Russel barked and expelled him from his square.

After an eternity, Link's stomach finally settled down.

"Better?" the old knight mumbled.

Link only nodded weakly. He slowly stood up. His knees wobbled and the world spun but he'd not go back down! He was far too angry for that.

"You did well. Very well! He is three years your senior and highly talented. Yet you still managed to even out the score."

Link didn't want to hear all that. "Why did you even let me fight this arsehole? He is a lying, foul-playing bastard. Did you just want to see me lose? Is that it?" He shouted. He was tired, feverish and everything hurt. He had enough.

"He is that. Don't think I didn't notice his foul. But what do you think awaits you at the tourney? Angels, fighting fairly? No, it's pieces of dung like him. Although, I must apologize. I should have stopped the fight before it got out of hand." The old man said calmly.

"Oh, thank you, then, for that educational journey! And do you want to turn me into a back-stabbing dirt-bag as well? Is that how you see me? Your cheap tool to rake in glory in the city?" Link screamed. He had never felt so humiliated and betrayed.

"No. You are my student and I want…" Sir Russel started, taken aback.

"You want! I can see that _you want_! But I don't! I will no longer be your punching bag, Sir Russel. I refuse to be turned into one of these noble scumbags. I'm leaving!"

He turned on his heel and stormed off. He had hoped Sir Russel would call after him, even insult him, but there was just silence.

Din's hellfire but he was furious. He knew he hadn't been fair to the old knight, but he didn't care right now. He was so sick of all of this. This village, this training that made him hurt, the constant humiliation in the square which had just reached a new colossal peak… everything!

He had to stop himself from inanely roaring with rage.

He was already on the path to his house when he heard a soft, worried voice.

"Link? Are you alright?"

He looked up and his whole body went cold. "Sally" stood in front of him in the same garb as yesterday. Here he stood, dirty, sweaty, speckled with sick and probably reeking.

She looked at him, concerned. "Are you alright?" she repeated.

"I'm _fine_!" he snapped. Goddess, he sounded like an idiot, saying that.

"What happened?" she made a step towards him.

He stepped back, not wanting to soil her clothes, but also just not wanting anyone close right now.

"I stopped training for the tourney. I won't go." He rasped, sounding petulant even to himself.

"Why?" she asked.

"Because of people like that squire, Halvor. Because of that old brute Russel. Because I am not good enough and I refuse to become better via dirty tricks and foulness. Because I have enough going on without waking up in pain every goddess-damned day. Because… because… ARGH!" He screamed.

"It's alright. Let it out!" she said. He was startled to see a little fear in her eyes, but it was overpowered by mindless rage.

"Because that tourney only serves as merriment for people like you, _your highness_!" he hissed.

She stared in shock. Her face went completely white and her hands bunched into fists.

"Who do you think you're fooling? I'm not a complete idiot, despite what you might think about us common folk. Poor girl, coddled by life, no care in the world. Do you have any freaking idea what a nightmare my life is?"

He knew instantly he had way overstepped his mark. He saw a deadly cold fury replace the shocked silence on her face. His senseless fury turned to deep shame to have so unfairly raged against this innocent girl.

"Your life? You sit here in this paradise, you could not have more freedom, have food and family, and yet you _dare_ accuse me of being coddled? By my fifth birthday I have already seen victims of war, one legged, one armed that took their lot in life with more pride and dignity than you, you self righteous, lazy complainer! You _dare_ to say I have no care in the world?" her fists were shaking with her own wrath.

"I am surrounded by hordes of conniving, back-stabbers _every day_ that would rather burn the country to the ground than see me on the throne. I have not had a single day to myself since the day my mother died. I try my hardest _every day_ to learn about my people so I can one day do well by them. And you dare…" she raised her hand and pointed right at Link's face. "…to tell me that your life is hard?"

Her tone switched to derision. "You have more in common with nobles like Gorridan or that squire than you think, complainer! The one time in your life something doesn't go to your liking and you throw everything away and blame everybody for your 'nightmarish' life. Childish!"

And with that she turned on her heel and glided away.

Link felt like a complete and utter ass. He knew she was right for the most part. He did have a good, safe life. And he had to admit, that he had never thought about what the politics in Hyrule might do to a young girl.

But him being like nobles? Now his anger was back, but it was a calmer, a more directed anger. The sort of angry determination you could bend steel over.

This princess, this… _girl_ dared to accuse him of being one of these idle, careless aristocrats? He had complained, true! He had been childish, fine! But he was nothing like them. He would not throw down sword fighting. This royal, this… _brat_ thought she had figured him out. He would show her! He knew she would attend the tourney, she had said so herself. He would dominate the square in the city of Hyrule and he would change her mind!

He stomped off back the way he came to apologize to Sir Russel. His training lesson still lasted at least another hour.


	8. Dark Visions and Light Awakening

Chapter 8:

Princess Zelda

Zelda was angry. She had reached the back entrance to the tavern and right now, she couldn't care less if anyone spotted her.

She was furious, but she had to admit, she was furious with herself, mostly. Had she actually thought she would fool anyone with that disguise, asking questions like she had been born yesterday? Was she really that naïve? That boy had seen through her clear as daylight. Oh how much of a _fool_ she must look, giving grand speeches about her life, standing there in borrowed maid's clothes. Stupid, stupid!

She garnered a few wondering looks from other maids but she stormed through so quickly, they must think she had urgent business and didn't look twice.

She went upstairs, entered her chambers through the maid's entrance and was relieved to find nobody there. It made sense, the girls would all be busy preparing for their departure in a few hours.

She whipped that idiotic bonnet from her head, peeled herself out of the dress and threw it all fiercely into the clothes basket.

Finally free of that constricting stuff, she entered her private chamber.

She was a little surprised to realize, that she didn't feel at all insulted by what that… boy had said. He had clearly been extremely irate and judging from his sickly appearance he'd had a dreadful day. No, she wasn't insulted, she mused. That would be idiotic, taking his words of inane rage that serious. She was however angry and a little disappointed that he had lost his control so utterly.

But then again, so had she. Goddess, it had felt good to, for once, vent her anger at someone. Nayru knew how often she wanted to do that, but couldn't, as it would not be proper.

But now she felt guilty as well. She couldn't say, why she had felt the need to mock the poor boy. She had felt angry that this… that Link, who had been so fascinating the other day, would let himself fall to despair so easily. And over such a trivial and easy to fix matter.

Zelda was no fool. She had understood the way he had looked at her yesterday. Standing in her chamber now, rather scantily clad, thinking about the looks he had cast at her, she blushed furiously. She looked in her mirror at her reddened face. "Foolish girl, how is that going to help?" she chided herself.

Maybe she had hoped that being derided by her would pull him out of his self pity and back into determination. No, she had to admit. That's what I'm hoping _now_. Back there, I have simply lost my cool. With a cold feeling in her gut she recalled the shock and hurt in his eyes. Those gentle, deep blue eyes…

She sat down in front of her dressing table and put her face in her hands. Maybe it was for the best. What could possibly have come from their encounter? Maybe her, well, nastiness would settle matters for him at least. Close that short (but sweet) chapter…

She sat up straight again and looked at herself in the mirror again. A sad girl's face looked back. Zelda looked away and stood up. "Goddesses, I'm such a fool!"

She went to her dresser and picked one of her simple white dresses.

The door to what during her brief stay had been something like a sitting room opened.

"Back so soon? I thought you'd… oh."

Sally entered and closed the door behind her. She was still dressed like a princess, to throw off anyone who just threw a casual glance. She now walked up to her, worried expression on her face. As per usual, she couldn't hide anything from her cousin.

"What's wrong? Did you lovebirds have a _fight_?" Sally's girlish face turned rather impish.

"You could say that. He was being a brat and then so was I. I don't think I've ever felt ever so foolish in my life." She grumbled, trying to bind her dress impatiently as the anger boiled up again.

"Not even when you slipped on the stairs in front of the Zora delegation and landed in the ambassador's footbath? Here, let me, before you rip it in half." And she took the ribbons out of Zelda's hands.

"Thank you for reminding me. Also: Lovebirds?" she asked with her dangerous voice.

"Sure. You should have seen your face when you returned yesterday. You seemed like you genuinely had fun, for once. There, done. Now I can finally get out of that heavy thing. I wonder why I let you even do that little charade, if you just went and botched it." She exclaimed, somewhat muffled by the heavy fabric of Zelda's dress around her head.

"Because you're my younger cousin and it was a royal request?" it was a low blow, Zelda knew, but she wasn't particularly enjoying her best friend's antics right now.

Saria had always been a rascal, that's why she had always held her dearly. She was everything Zelda couldn't be. They had always been together. The nickname Sally had started when Zelda had still been unable to pronounce R…

Sally had finally fought her way out of the dress. Now her darkish hair was ruffled and her face was red. "That must be it. It certainly has nothing to do with me wanting you to enjoy yourself. That would just be silly." Sarcasm was dripping from her voice.

"Now tell me what happened!"

Zelda recounted what had occurred, sparing no details. All the while the two girls had tea and a whole tray of cakes to attend to.

When Zelda had finished her deliberations they sat in silence for a while.

Sally spoke first: "I have to say, he does rather sound like an idiot."

"Then I'm telling it wrong. And if he is an idiot, then so am I." Zelda sighed.

"Anyway I'm sorry that it ended like this. I had hoped you would have a few pleasant hours before we have to leave." Her cousin tried to console.

"I did have a nice afternoon, yesterday." Zelda mused, thinking back. A tiny smile played on her lips before she could stop it.

Of course it didn't slip past Sally. "Look at you, smiling like a dolt! And you always tell me to stay away from shifty looking youths. And here you go out for the first time in forever and you have fallen head over heels!" she slandered.

"Come now, it's not that bad."

It really wasn't. She had liked him, definitely. But again, what good could have come of it? She had maintained an emotional distance and it was good that she had. Her duty as Hyrule's princess would always come first.

But it still saddened her that she would have to leave today and couldn't rectify that foolish quarrel. Yesterday evening she had actually plotted to maybe play sick so her retinue would have to stay for one more day. But that were, of course, the thoughts of a child and she had abandoned them as such.

"It is of no matter anyway. We must leave and he will stay and that's that." She made a brave face.

"Well, you could always order some of your knights to just put him in a sack and drag him with us." Saria suggested innocently.

Zelda had to laugh at the thought. "Look, father, I have a new pet!" is what she would say back at court.

"And when you tire of him you can just let him be put back in the sack and delivered back to here. Easy!" her cousin continued.

Zelda giggled. "Excellent plan. I'm sure we'll find some corner in the castle where he can sleep in his sack. And when I need him I just pull him out and we'll… well, do something." She finished lamely.

"I'm sure you can think of an activity to do with him." Sally piped and with relish put another piece of cake in her mouth.

Zelda cleared her throat loudly. She imitated one of their governess' throaty voices. "Such talk is very unbecoming of a young lady. Shame!"

They both laughed for a while. It felt relieving. Maybe would just treasure this memory and move on.

Sally interrupted her musings. "And, you know, if your little manoeuvre did work and he does find his determination, then he will be at the tourney in eight weeks. Who knows? If he wins he'll receive his price from you, right?" she asked mockingly and smirked.

Zelda felt a mix of dismay and anticipation wash over her. Drat! The tourney! That would be awkward…

Two days and a half later they were well underway. She had held a brief speech about the exemplary hospitality she had received in Ord village and had thanked the mayor and her host personally.

Currently she was sitting in her father's opulent carriage, rocking back and forth with the uneven road and fighting with nausea. Around her, her ladies-in-waiting bustled about in an admirable effort to make her voyage bearable. She had no words for how she hated travelling in this eternally quaking birdcage. She would so much prefer riding on horseback, wind in her hair, sun in her face, marvelling at Hyrule's beautiful landscape. She had a horse, naturally, a gentle but energetic white mare, but she wondered why.

Soon, she knew from studying maps, they would pass through the Twins, a mountain split in twain, and shortly after they would camp for the night along Lake Nisa. She couldn't wait until they finally halted.

She made a decision.

"Anya!" the 18 year old maid stopped talking to her neighbour immediately.

"Yes, my lady?"

"Please tell Sir Craster that I wish to speak to him as soon as we have stopped." Zelda had put this off for too long already.

"As you wish, your highness." The girl stood, curtsied shakily and went to the one openable window to communicate with the outside world.

Two hours later Princess Zelda sat in a comfortable wicker chair in her tent. The impressively large canvas cave was erected each and every night for her. She always felt utterly spoilt when she watched the servants and soldiers put it up, only to stow it a few hours later. However, sleeping in the hideously stuffy carriage was just too dreadful a thought. She had sent all of her maids away. Only Saria was still present, albeit behind a screen where she was writing. Zelda had thought about allowing her to listen to the following conversation, but had decided that she would spare her that unpleasantness. Even though she was terrified about what she might learn.

"Sally, I am expecting Sir Craster in a few minutes. I'm afraid I will have to ask you to leave." It sounded horribly stilted, Zelda thought. Especially between her and her cousin.

Sally immediately picked up on her nervousness and didn't answer with her usual sarcasm. "What's wrong, Zelda? What's worrying you?"

Zelda wouldn't insult her by lying. "I will discuss the Bokoblin attack with him. I will tell you afterwards, but I want to hear his words alone."

Sally made a face "Oh, because the gruesome details would be just too much for my poor little soul to handle. I might swoon!" And there was the sarcasm. Honestly, Zelda thought, she might be 14 years of age, but in terms of sarcasm and cynicism that girl was at least 85.

"Yes, I knew you'd react that way. It won't change the outcome, however. Out! Go look at the soldier boys." She overdramatically pointed towards the tent-flap, a tiny smile on her lips.

"Hmph!" Sally hmphed. "Better than you, looking at old knights. Try not to wear out old Craster too much, with your 'discussion'. He might not survive the process."

"Out with you, you letch!" Zelda commanded, with as much fervour as she could manage between giggling and indignation.

Sally left, undoubtedly to try and eavesdrop, somehow.

Hardly a minute later Sir Craster was announced by the guards at the entrance to her tent.

"Ask him in!"

The aging knight was attending her in full armour, helmet under his arm. She chided herself for her forgetfulness. He was a very keen advocate of perfect chivalry and old age hadn't mellowed him much. And, of course, being summoned by the princess traditionally meant appearing in full gear. She should have worded her it differently, as a personal invitation, then the poor man would have been spared from wearing 25 kilos of metal.

She stood up as he entered. If he wasn't comfortable, neither would she be.

The man bowed curtly. "Your majesty. How can I be of service?"

Sir Craster was her herald for this voyage. Her father had hand-picked him and with good reason. He was a thinking man, a capable commander who enjoyed the respect of his peers. He had seen her grow up, she valued his opinion and most importantly, he would be honest if she was insistent enough.

"Please, Sir Craster, stand at ease." she found her regal voice. "I have asked you here to discuss the attack we have suffered."

The old knight did not seem surprised, he had seen this coming. He did however seem pained.

She continued. "I feel I have already shirked my duty by not enquiring sooner. My wish is that you tell me _everything_ there is to tell."

It was voiced as a royal request, not just a mere command. She had asked him both as princess and as herself and she knew he understood that.

The aging knight looked defeated, but he rallied and began woodenly. "Very well, your highness. As you are aware two protective rings defend you at night. The outer one manned by soldiers, every fifth standing guard, the others sleeping and awaiting the changing. The inner ring is comprised by us, your sworn knights. All in all you have 125 men guarding you, 25 awake at all times, the others shielding you with their bodies."

Zelda hated that wording.

The old man took a deep breath. He truly looked old right now. "At the time of the attack, young Thodric had the watch."

She nodded, setting her jaw.

He hesitated. "Everything, Sir Craster." She reminded him, hoping that her voice didn't quiver.

"Aye, your majesty. The boy was cut down from the front. The look on his face when we found him was that of shock. Even though he was speared from the direction he was looking at, he did not see it coming until it was too late."

She nodded again. Her mind conjured the face she had placed the coins on, but instead of peaceful she envisioned it shocked and in deadly pain. The images were real, so dreadfully real.

"The boy probably couldn't even shout. It is only thanks to his brother in arms, a certain Kard, that we were immediately rallied to arms. He noticed the boy being attacked and sounded the alarm. He later reported something odd, but it was probably the shock. I've seen it before, even with weathered men."

Interesting, Zelda thought. She had a feeling that she should follow that thread. But Sir Craster wasn't through yet. "The soldiers reacted admirably, no faltering, no tumult. They had already stopped the onslaught in its tracks when we came. Together the Bokoblins stood no chance."

The more he talked, the clearer she could see it. She was almost there. She could could hear the frenzied shrieking of the monsters, she could feel the racing heartbeat of each man and woman. She could smell the blood as the attackers were slaughtered. Her stomach heaved, but she controlled it.

"How many were there in total? Twelve? Fifteen?"

The knight seemed perplexed at her accurate 'guess'.

"Fourteen. Thirteen dead, one could flee into the woods. I ordered the men not to give chase. I suspected an ambush, but nothing more happened." He sighed, his expression grim. "It makes no sense."

"Fourteen naked creatures, armed with wooden clubs and pointed sticks attacking over a hundred armed men. Why?" she asked, bewildered. The vision was slowly fading again, for which she was thankful.

She could see in his face that she had hit the question that was bothering him the most. "Precisely. Why? It was pointless. Utterly pointless death. They had no way of winning anything by that attack. In all my years I have not seen something as this. Were they starved and crazed? Not likely. Were they stupid? No. They have low intelligence, but are devious fighters. Where they hoping to sneak in? Then why attack the first man they see. And how…" he noticeably stopped himself.

"Continue." She bid him.

"How is it that the boy Thodric didn't see them? I have seen the lad, he was neither simple nor incapable…" He finished.

"I will need to speak to the soldier you mentioned before."

The old knight's pained expression came back. "If that is your wish. But I doubt he will be able to tell you any more relevant information. And, well… he might not know how to speak of such… events to a princess." He pleaded.

"You mean to protect me, Sir Craster, and I thank you for it. But I will not cower in fear over hylian blood that has been spilt for my protection. Nor will I forgo gathering intelligence if not all questions have been answered." Zelda said fiercely.

"Then ask him tomorrow, princess Zelda, please." The old fighter said gently. She was tempted to take this compromise. He could probably see her discomfort clear as day. She was probably white as a sheet and trembling. Her head was spinning from those haunting visions but her pride would not allow her to show weakness.

"No. Tonight. Now, if you would, Sir Craster." She commanded, more harshly than she had intended.

"Very well, your majesty." He acquiesced, bowed and exited the tent.

Zelda used the few moments she had to take a sip of water. When she closed her eyes she could still see the images of that night. She cursed herself for this… talent, this punishment, this ability she had. It had always been with her, showing, telling. Frightening her to death when generals spoke about battle, crushing her when envoys would tell of disasters, sickening her when people pleaded to her father for help after bandit attacks. Her father had been uncomprehending and probably would have punished her for the perceived weakness. But luckily her mother had had a similar talent and had intervened. Unfortunately she had died soon afterward, so she had been left to deal with it herself. She used it when she dared and the king had slowly learned to, if not trust, at least heed her words. Lately it had even followed her in her dreams, tormenting her with diffuse images of burning, ashen rain and ruin. Zelda was afraid that if she was forced to see the visions too regularly, too clearly, her talent would grow and invade even more.

She took deep breaths and forced her pulse to calm. She had just regained her composure when she heard approaching footsteps.

"Sir Craster, accompanied by a soldier, your majesty."

"Ask them in."

Sir Craster stepped inside, followed by a gaunt man in his fourties. He had a tired, yet nervous look about him. He went on one knee while the knight did his bow.

"Stand, please, and tell me your name." she said, gently commanding.

"Kard, your majesty. Kard Kardson, your majesty." He stammered as he rose.

"I have asked you here to tell me of the night of the attack. You are ordered to speak truthfully of everything I ask and not to leave out any uncomfortable details. If you have to speak of a failure of your duty, do so. I swear by the name of the goddess Nayru, my divine guardian, that neither you nor one of your peers will be punished." Zelda would have felt much better, if she could be gentler to this man. But she had had to learn that her trying to cross the barrier of social rank had only led to panicked confusion in them.

The soldier surprised her with a candid and, to Zelda, elating answer. "I would not lie to you, your majesty, not on my darkest day."

Zelda, moved, nodded. "I thank you. Sir Craster has already filled me in an all he has seen. But you were there first and you were there to sound the alarm, correct?"

"Aye, my lady."

"Sir Craster mentioned that you have reported something odd. Repeat it to me."

The man clearly was uncomfortable with that order. Zelda felt that he wasn't sure whether he trusted his own senses and didn't want to seem like a fool.

"I was standing to the lad's left. Thodric, I mean, bless his soul. The torches were burning, it wasn't a dark night as the moon was half full. We were both doin' our duty, your majesty, neither Thodric nor me would've lazed about, forgetting our watch."

Once again, images formed in Zelda's mind. The dark of night, illuminated slightly by torches and the moon. The sound of snoring companions. The smell of sweat as the night was warm and the leather was hot. There he stood, the 18 year old boy, alive and well, watching the perimeter earnestly. Honest eyes, a stout chin… a good man.

"Then, suddenly, it was like it grew darker. First I thought a cloud had moved in front of the moon, but then I saw the fire of the torches flicker and dim. It was as if they were about to go out from too little oil, all blue and low burning. The lad and I noticed at the same time. We looked around."

Zelda could see it. A sudden dark, like a shroud over one's eyes. The torchlight was hushed, as if suddenly all the power had left the flame. An oppressive feeling crept through her, and she noticed that all wind had ceased.

"Then he said something like "Do you see that?". It was like a… fog. But black. Not grey like mist but black like soot. And it came closer and right quick."

Zelda saw. It was like a wall of blackness creeping ever closer. It filled her with unknown terror. Suddenly she something she had never seen before. Two images in her mind, both of the same horrible darkness, but not the same. In one she saw Thodric, tense and afraid, in the other she saw other soldiers. She didn't understand. "I could see, like, long dark fingers inside, graspin' and twitchin'. I was about to shout when…"

She saw long black tendrils writhing within the darkness in both images. But also other shapes, concentrations of black malice, clawing at the boundary between their world and hers. She felt panic rise in her. Two images… why two?

"… suddenly one of those bastards jumped out at the poor boy and…"

 _Stabbed him_ , she saw. They came from that deathly cloud. _Why two_? Suddenly, in the same instant the boy was stabbed, she recognized the second picture. It was her tent, her men, camped along the lake. _Now_!

"Sound the alarm!" she shrieked. Sir Craster hesitated only a fraction of a second, wide eyed, before bellowing.

"ATTACK! TO ARMS! PROTECT THE PRINCESS!" He stormed towards the entrance and drew his sword.

Instantly Zelda heard screams of terror and pain all around her. Sounds of battle erupted all around the camp. She saw in her mind as the shadows she had seen broke through the wall and swarmed over the still rallying soldiers. Stabbing, biting, clawing at every piece of flesh they could find.

She stumbled towards her sword and yanked it out of its scabbard. She felt all the fear, all the pain while running for the exit.

She saw with her own eyes as an unstoppable flood of shadowy terrors threatened to overrun them from everywhere.

Zelda was numbed by sheer panic and horror. She stepped forward, like in trance. She saw as Sir Craster tried to grab her, slowly as if the flow of time had dried to a mere trickle.

Another image invaded her head. An image of a bright light that cut through black clouds. An image of a young woman, beautiful and strong, her face fierce, her eyes determined… and a swordsman shielding her. A feeling of wielding a pure power, guiding it with her hands, weaving it with her fingers. An image of…

"LIGHT!" she yelled, raising her hand and a rays of the brightest light erupted from her fingers. They tore through the horde of darkness, disintegrating all of the foul terrors instantly. Zelda illuminated the night life a tiny sun, turning it brighter than day. Her light dispersed the wall of fog and banished the darkness.

And just as quick as it came, it ceased. The light faded and so did Zelda's consciousness. The last thing she saw was the floor coming closer.


	9. Shadows Darken

Chapter 9:

Link

Link started awake with a gasp, then sat in his bed, panting. With eyes wide open he looked around, the darkness seeming to creep around him. But soon his vision cleared, the dark corners of his room returned to normal and his breath steadied. He touched the skin on his bare chest, then the linen below him. Completely drenched…

"What in all the hells was that about?" he whispered aloud. His dream, his nightmare had been of her, standing amidst a roaring maelstrom of darkness. Evil black tendrils ravaged the ground around her, creeping ever closer. He had felt her fear, her desperation. But then she had suddenly shone with a radiant light that seemed to come from within. It had vanquished the dark, tore through it like a well honed blade through cloth. Then she fell. Then nothing.

Link put his face in his hands and massaged his temples. He very rarely had nightmares and then never this real, this close. He usually rejected the thought of soothsaying or oneiromancy, thinking them fraudulent endeavours, but right now he was not at all sure.

"Get yourself together, boy!" Sir Russel's voice rang in his mind. He had to grin a bit and looked through the window. Still deep into the knight. He couldn't see the moon but his internal clock said it was around 1 o'clock. He gazed at the gently wafting trees in the nightly breeze. The princess' panicked face haunted him.

Link shook his head. Nonsense! Meeting the future monarch, even getting to know her a bit, didn't mean you suddenly developed prophetic tendencies. He had to snort at the absurd thought. He lay back onto his back, trying to avoid the sweat soaked spot. The brief moment of worry for her had momentarily dispelled the still lightly simmering anger he felt when he thought of her. He was no longer filled with rage, of course, that would just be juvenile! But her last comments still glimmered in his pride. He used it as fuel for his renewed training.

Thinking of training, he should go back to sleep. His mentor had, understandably, not relented a millimetre after Link had apologized for his insolent behaviour. Quite the contrary. But at least the old bear had accepted Link's remorse and wasn't vindictive. …mostly.

The lad turned to his side and closed his eyes. His exerted body soon pulled him back to sleep. His last thought had been "I'd much rather dream of her in a pleasant way." He drifted away with a smile.

Link had stood up before anybody else. He was already once again drenched when the first rays of sunlight crept over the eastern hills. He was doing his forms and practicing his technique among the apple trees, a little way off from the house. The first night he had unthinkingly done so right under his parents' bedroom, which had earned him a few curses from his mother. "Weeks you do nothing and now you wake us with your panting and stomping, you brat, I should take that stick from you and put you over my knee until your bottom glows like hot coals, you ungrateful twit, you'll not eat for a week…" she screamed, all in one breath. He had to laugh between his cuts. He wished he had such stamina.

When the cock crowed he finished his last sequence of cuts, jabs and steps and went to clean himself before breakfast. Now, of course, he ate almost twice as much, much to his mother's mock chagrin. Meera was always somewhere between "You lazy bum!" and "Take care not to work too hard, dear!".

André had not relented either. He was still required to continue his apprenticeship. Link didn't mind. He knew that one victory at a tourney wouldn't sustain him forever. And it wasn't even sure he would win at all. But right now he was not allowing himself to consider any other outcome. He had to prove something, didn't he?

At the breakfast table he had a vivid discussion with his with his little brother, André Jr. about sword fighting. The seven year old was currently discovering the pleasure of holding little tournaments with his friends. Apparently the boy had been infected with his own recent enthusiasm and was now questioning his older brother relentlessly. Link had to promise him that he would regularly show him a few tricks. His father had had a little grin on his face while his mother had shot him a warning glance. Link knew what hells would await him if he taught something dangerous to her baby boy. There'd probably be nothing left of him…

Link had already put new coals in the forge and had lighted it when his father entered the smithy. He was about to resume yesterday's sharpening of arrow tips when André had a surprise for him.

"No. Today you'll help me with this." He said, pulling out a yellow-glowing bar from the forge. It was the same piece of steel his father had started on a couple of days ago. It was almost to length now, a little bit too thick still and still just a rectangle. Link could already gauge its finished shape roughly.

The surprise came when his father didn't take the hammer, but the tongs, held the steel fast and looked expectantly at his son.

He would do the last bit of forming! He had of course already done nails, horseshoes and other simpler work all by himself, but this was new territory. Sure, he'd seen his father work many times, but until now he had only assisted.

Link grabbed the large hammer that was used for drawing out the steel.

"Start slowly, softly. Get a feel for its weight. Be careful not to hammer any spot out too thin or we'll have to fold it over. Start from the back and push the material towards the tip." His father explained.

Link nodded and took the hammer with both hands. His first few nervous hits were more of a shy love-tap and he felt like a dolt. He half expected André to lose patience with him. But soon he got a feel for how the metal moved under his hits, how it flowed lethargically away from his hammering.

Link occasionally looked up to wait for his father's silent nod before continuing.

A few times they traded places so the master blacksmith could prevent a misshape before it even happened.

After many re-heats the steel was finally to length and Link felt very satisfied. His first delicate piece of work and he hadn't ruined it. Now Link could really see the shape of the sword that was still hidden within the length of metal.

"Good. We'll resume tomorrow. You'll start bevelling it. That will really test your skill. Now: dinner time." André mumbled.

Link looked outside, slightly perplex. He'd been so concentrated that he hadn't noticed that the whole morning had passed already. He also noticed now that his stomach had filed a complaint about emptiness about two hours ago. He rearranged his father's tools, then walked outside into the sun, gently stretching his overworked shoulders and arms. He sighed. Now, instead of his relatively easy work at the grindstone, he would swing a hammer all morning for the next weeks. Can arms just fall off if they've had enough?

The scent of his mother's cooking caressed his nose. His stomach made its opinion heard with a loud gurgle.

Well, no rest for the stupid, Link thought, chuckling.

Link arrived at the square after his run. The old slave driver had upped the distance by two kilometres. His head swam and hot air stifled him, but he'd made it.

While Sir Russel poured them both some water, Link prepared his training steel. He had used the time between dinner and now with more self-study and practice. Even though the handle of his steel was wrapped in soft leather, his left hand already had blisters the size of Ricco's buttocks. Yesterday the old bear had shown him how to bind his hand with cloth strips to protect it without sacrificing grip. Right now he struggled to remember the rather complex binding technique and to replicate it with his clumsier right hand.

Sir Russel waited impatiently for him to finish, then stepped into the square. "Right. Battle stance! Attack!" he barked

Link was momentarily nonplussed. They had never started with a bout before. What was the old man scheming?

Link raised his blade and started circling his opponent. The knight hardly seemed ready, his blade held low by his side, his stance relaxed. He hesitated.

"I told you to attack, boy!" he snarled.

Link set his jaw. Very well.

He swung his blade from his right to the old man's unprotected side. He deflected it easily, killing all momentum. But Link speedily turned 360 degrees so his next heavy slash had all his weight behind it. His sword met only air as his teacher had stepped back just enough to be out of reach. Sir Russel stepped closer again, stabbing right at Link's throat. He had just enough time to redirect his steel's impetus to turn his master's blade away and attempt a grazing hit at the same time. While a hit like that wouldn't get him points in the tournament, it could still disorient or dishearten an opponent. It worked mediocrely. He had landed the strike on the old man's shoulder, but his defence had suffered for it. Sir Russel allowed his sword to be turned away slightly, kneeled and drew it neatly across Link' belly. Thankfully he had reacted quickly enough to harden his abdominal muscles, or he would probably eat dust right now.

They stepped apart.

Sir Russel nodded. "Not too shabby. Interesting what a little bloody motivation can do, isn't it, boy?"

Link took the rare compliment and accepted the jibe.

"How many moves did it take me to defeat you?" he asked.

Link let their exchange pass before his eyes again. "Four. One deflect, one back-step, one stab and a slash." Link listed.

"True. Four. Remember that! Three days ago, before whatever happened that finally put some fire in you, it would probably have taken me one, boy. I should slap you for wasting my time all these weeks but at least you're serious now. Four!" he repeated, raising as many fingers on his hand.

"Now put that blade away. Today we'll start with something new. You'll like it, I'm sure!" the old bear grinned fiendishly.

Link suddenly had his doubts that he would, actually, but was intrigued none the less.

Sir Russel walked towards the small table, opened an oblong case and took out a "sword".

Link had a ringing laughing fit when he saw it. It was the most ridiculous thing he had ever seen. It was just as long as the standard tourney blade but much, much thicker and broader. It looked like a double edged meat cleaver!

The old knight grinned to, albeit more predatorily.

"Glad you like it! Meet your new weapon!" and he threw it skilfully at his student.

Link caught it, barely. That monster was at least twice as heavy. It had a huge pommel at the back of its handle, to balance the ludicrous blade. Link checked its balance sceptically. It had a decent equilibrium, at least.

"Go ahead, give it few swings, boy!" the old man smirked. He had altogether too much fun right now.

The perplexed teen tried one of the more complex forms with the thing. He nearly keeled over a few times! He definitely didn't have enough strength to hold it horizontally with outstretched arm. He felt somewhere between laughing and crying.

"From now on, you'll train half the time with that blade. Her name is Bertha and she's been with me since I was about your age. Take good care of her." Sir Russel said with a gravely chuckle.

"Bertha?! Fit's like a glove." Link thought sullenly. This was going to be hell.

"Thanks. I love her already!" he exclaimed in theatrical glee.

"Nice! Then you'll love her little children!" and the old bear produced three leather wrappings that clanked dangerously.

Link's heart sank even further.

"Two for your legs, one for your right arm. Would look like a putz with only one muscular limb, right?"

Link took them from his teacher's hands. They all looked very well used. One looked almost ready to disintegrate spontaneously.

"I'll call this one Russel!" Link announced cheekily.

The knight snorted. "Sure, it'll be the one that'll chafe you the worst."

They weren't that heavy, but he could see how, after a training session, that subjective viewpoint could change drastically. _This_ was going to be hell!

While he wrapped them around his legs and wrist and clamping them closed, his mentor explained: "As I said, half your training. Don't exaggerate with the things boy. Wouldn't be healthy. You also mustn't forget your normal blade's feeling in your hand. And don't run with them. Not good for your joints."

Link finished gearing up and did a few experimental steps and slashes. It felt as if he moved through honey, rather than air.

"Good. Now. Show me your forms!" Sir Russel barked.

And so he started. It was hell.

A few hours later Link sat in the tavern with Ricco and Marten. He tried his utmost not to show that he felt wobbly like a Chuchu, but to little avail. He even had trouble lifting his cup with lemon water. More than once his dear friend Ric joked about his new poor disabled companion and tried to feed him with his own fork. While funny, Link didn't want to laugh right now, because it hurt. As did moving. And breathing. And existing. And… At least is was a good kind of pain.

They still talked about the royal retinue. What else was there to talk about?

Of course he'd had to tell his friends what had happened with the girl, after they had prodded him relentlessly. Naturally he didn't reveal her identity. He didn't doubt that they would believe him (although it would seriously test their trustfulness of him). It would simply be an immensely despicable thing to do.

He had however told them of the row they'd had and had not underplayed his own idiocy.

Ricco had put his meaty arm around Link's shoulders consolingly. "Hey don't worry about it! You'll be in Hyrule city soon anyway. If she's the princess' confidant, maybe you'll meet her again. By then her temper will have cooled off and you'll be free to tell her how incredibly huge a jerk you are!"

"And then you'll live happily ever after." Marten supplied.

Link had laughed, albeit a bit subdued. Ricco's words were truer than he knew.

From the neighbour's table he heard a few bits of drunken conversation.

" 's real troubling. There's been another attack. In Bregg."

Link looked at his friends questioningly. Their expressions had immediately turned dark. "Have you heard of this?"

They nodded. "Aye, I did. You haven't?" Ric asked

He shook his head. "No! My head's full of steel, currently, and not much else." the smith-apprentice and swordsman explained. It was true enough.

"A traveller spread the news yesterday. Bokoblin attack in Bregg. Two homes burned down, many hurt. No one dead, miraculously…"

Link swallowed. Bregg was the closest village to the west, about 35 kilometres from here. Two days, as the Bokoblin runs…

Marten shifted uncomfortably. "It could still be a coincidence. Two random happenings cumulated, plus our straggler." he mumbled.

"It could." Link admitted. But all three had an ominous feeling. The all had grown up certain that the heartlands were safe like a castle. Now this fortress crumbled dangerously.

"I asked my father and my uncle. They never heard of an organized raiding group of Bokos in these lands. Ever." Ric rumbled concernedly.

"What are we doing to prepare for an attack? Did you ask your uncle that?" Link wanted to know.

The big lad nodded. "I did. Stammered something like 'surely it won't come to that'." He imitated and shook his head. "Maybe I should brush up on my sword skills anyway. I might not have the most technique, but I'm pretty sure that they don't either."

"The three of us should definitely prepare. I certainly won't cower with the mothers and children while the men defend the village." Link growled grimly.

"Aye." Ric and Mart agreed as one.

The blond boy looked around in the square. The normally exuberant evening atmosphere was replaced with a more sombre mood. People spoke in low voices, bent closer over the table, few laughing faces were seen. No one was idling on the streets, everyone walked quickly to wherever they were going. An ambiance of worry had settled over Ord.

Link suddenly remembered the distressing dream he'd had. While he did feel annoyed that a mere nightmare still troubled him, he couldn't help but sense a certain familiarity in the air.

The world darkened. Shadows got longer and more dangerous. Every feeling of joy and peace were strangled by a malevolent dread. Brother fought brother in a world were benevolence was nearly lost. Only they remained as the centre of all hope. Her…

"Liiinkyyy, are you still with us?" Ricco sang, waving his hand in front of Link's face.

He snapped out of whatever trance he had been. "What? What was I doing?" he asked, bemused.

"Staring brainlessly ahead. You know, nothing unusual, but still." Ric teased.

Link couldn't quite remember what he had thought about. It had been like he had looked through someone else's eyes for a minute.

"Sorry. My brain is currently full of steel, as I said." He muttered.

"Ah well. You just missed that Gerudo lady dance on the table, completely nude. She seemed to take your inattention rather personal." Ric confabulated innocently.

Link rolled his eyes. "Sure. But I'm certain a gentleman of your calibre offered her consolation in all possible ways, which she graciously declined. And then ran away quickly." He countered.

"Not out of the question." His large friend chuckled.

They all shared a good laugh but it felt slightly forced. The news of a second attack had hit pretty hard. But it also triggered something different in Link. He would be one of those that stood to fight these creatures. Others would rely on his ability to protect them and the whole village. Life had once again reminded him that there were greater things than winning a tournament.

Interestingly, while it did worry him, it did not make him afraid, he found. Rather it steeled his determination. He vowed to redouble his efforts to become strong, a shield to protect all that he cared for.


	10. Visions of Light

Chapter 10

Zelda

"She's waking up! Quick!" was the first thing she heard, albeit very faintly. Her ears were ringing almost as bad as her head. She tried opening her eyes but found their lids too heavy a weight.

Involuntarily, she made a croaking sound, followed by a coughing fit that nearly shook her off the bed.

"Easy, Zelda, honey! Slowly." Saria's familiar voice. At least some comfort…

Her hearing slowly sharpened again. She could sense that quite a lot of people were standing around her, watching her intently.

For just a tiny moment, her pride was incensed. Yes, thank you, I just love that you all gawk at me in my predicament. She relaxed again, knowing it as the unfair thought it was. They were just worried. So was she…

Zelda made another attempt at opening her eyes. Her eyelids felt like sandpaper. Her eyes burned fiercely, their vision blurry.

"Water, please." She croaked. Her usually bright voice sounded as if she hadn't used it for decades.

Sally was ready with a cup and gently brought it to her mouth. The princess took a sip to moisten her dry mouth, then took a few more to put the life back into herself.

Painfully slowly her vision returned to normal. She looked around. Mostly maids were around her, looking beside themselves with worry. A handful of knights, led by Sir Craster, and Lord Gorridan, her steward. Lovely.

Arduously she manoeuvred herself into a sitting position, irritably pushing away the hands that wanted to force her back down.

Zelda took a few deep breaths, then gazed at Sir Craster. The old knight eyed her with so much fatherly worry that she for a moment feared that she was changed somehow. With a pang of panic she thought that whatever she had done had aged her to an old hag. She certainly felt like it right now… but a brief look at her hands allayed that worry. Still hers, although very pale.

Zelda looked back at her herald and spoke. "Situation?" she had to suppress another coughing fit and took another sip of water.

"Calm once more, my princess. Your… you defeated the attacker." He said gently.

She almost huffed. I have no thrice damned idea what I did, she thought to herself. But the news was good, regardless.

"How late is it? How long was I gone?" she recognised her tent, so they hadn't packed her in to deliver her to the city yet. Only a few hours then, she reasoned.

"It is midday, the day after. You have slept 12 hours, your highness." He reported anxiously.

She remembered the night, that unspeakable terror that had ravaged the camp. She remembered everything in dreadful clarity. The panicked battle. The screams…

Zelda steeled herself for her next question.

"How many?"

"Zelda…", "My princess…" Sally and Sir Craster started to protest. They wanted to shield her but she couldn't let them.

"How. Many?" she repeated with a dangerous undertone. She noticed that all except Sally seemed to recoil just a bit. Her… eruption had earned her more than just admiration, it seemed.

Sir Craster sighed deeply. "Twenty-three your highness. Nineteen soldiers, four knights. Sixteen more wounded. Two won't make the night." He reported sadly.

So many! _So many_!

She had to fight back tears.

"We erected a provisional sick bay in the second tent. Your personal physician is there now, after he was certain that all you need was sleep. He is doing what he can." Sir Craster continued, mostly to fill the silence.

She looked up at the worried faces of her maids. "Then why are all of you standing here? Go and help those men and women! Leave!" she nearly screamed. Right now she had no nerve for tact.

While they hastened away Zelda hung her head and bit her lip to stop herself from crying.

"What was it?" she managed through gritted teeth.

Awkward silence all around. She had not expected an answer.

"What have you seen of… me? Tell me what happened as you saw it!" It was a hard request for her to make. She had clearly summoned some light, some power that she had had no idea she possessed. And while this power had triumphed over that clawing darkness, it still frightened her. What was she?

"I saw you stride past me into the night, slowly, your face peaceful, as if you hadn't a care in the world. I tried to grab you but found that I… couldn't. Around you was an… aura that I dared not profane. You raised your hand. Enormous light appeared from your fingers that near instantly turned these cursed hordes to dust. Then you fell, the light fading. The whole scenario was over in only 10 seconds" Zelda saw a fierce pride in the knight's face as he recounted. And thankfulness. She looked at the similarly shining faces of the younger knights flanking him. They both nodded earnestly, confirming Sir Craster's description.

The old fighter collected himself. "My lady, I am not ashamed to say that you rescued us. I am however ashamed to admit that we, your sworn knights and your loyal soldiers, would have been unable to curb this onslaught. Whatever this enemy was, we were hopelessly unprepared. I must humble myself and ask for your forgiveness."

Before Zelda could say anything the three knights went to their knees, lowered their heads and cupped their hands together in supplication.

Sally gasped. Zelda was deeply shocked. They felt they had failed their duty. Their position signified they were ready to pay the ultimate price, should she wish it.

She wanted to bang something over their stupid, honourable heads. Hadn't there been enough death?!

She stood, shakily and stepped towards them. "You have not failed your duty. We were attacked by something unknown and murderous." she said, her voice quivering slightly. She gently closed the hands of the two younger knights and briefly touched their cheeks. "Preparation was not possible, a working defence was not possible!" Except if I had realized and reacted sooner, maybe! –a nasty voice supplied.

"I see no fault that needs forgiving." She closed Sir Craster's rough, strong hands with her soft slender ones and held them in hers. "I will not allow you to hold yourself responsible for what happened, Sir Craster. I will need your counsel, now more than ever." She finished, a very personal note mixing with her regal voice.

The old knight, thrice her experience and many times proven battle commander and fighter, looked up at her face, pleadingly. She felt it in him, saw it in his eyes, clear as day. These men have seen many horrors but nothing had come close to the bloodcurdling nightmare that was yesterday night. _They_ were looking for guidance. They were looking to her.

Not for the first time she felt too young and inexperienced. But never before had she felt so utterly inadequate like she did now. She was a girl, barely out of childhood! Whatever power had manifested in her, it frightened her to death. What was she? A sorceress like in children's tales? Would she be able to harness that magic once more, should the need arise? What if she couldn't?

She needed answers just as desperately as her men and women did. But she was the princess. They were her responsibility.

With a determined expression on her face she touched Sir Craster's cheek, absolving him from any guilt. She nearly pulled him to his feet on his beard.

"Send outriders, two of your knights. Give each two horses so they can reach Hyrule tomorrow. They are to recount what has occurred to my father the king. I further request an escort from the city to meet us on the way to supplement our losses. Tell them we have wounded and need supplies. Do it!" she commanded the man on the right sharply.

He saluted smartly and turned away to do her bidding. She was momentarily taken aback. That was the appropriate gesture toward his military superior, not royalty. Apparently she was pretty decent at commanding, she thought, briefly elated.

She turned towards the one on the left. "I want a complete survey about what your peers have seen. Also ask soldiers that aren't too shaken. If we know nothing of the enemy, we must learn. Any detail, any observation could be important. Attack patterns, could they be killed with spear and sword. Also ask about the wounds they inflicted. Go!" she ordered. This one bowed appropriately and nearly ran off to his duty.

She looked at Sir Craster who once again had this flaming admiration in his eyes. It made her blush, but she would not falter.

"You, Sir, will accompany me to the sick bay. No arguing! I will see to my soldiers."

She turned towards Sally who was looking at her with similarly admiring smile. "You come too, Sally!" Zelda made a pleading face to show her true help-seeking intention behind her harsh tone. Saria's face turned tense, but she nodded earnestly. Zelda had never loved her as much as in this moment.

What am I, she wondered again as she went to leave the tent.

Apparently a freak, she thought dryly.

As Zelda exited the tent the two entrance guards snapped to attention. Slowly but unstoppably the low hubbub around the camp died off and she became the centre of all attention. She swallowed, her throat still felt dry.

She could see that her soldiers had still been trying to restore order: finding scattered belongings or equipment, bandaging small injuries… collecting the possessions of the fallen. Some were resting but with a haunted look on their faces. She doubted anyone had had any sleep that night.

Now they were all looking at her, with that mix of fear and adoration she had come to recognize.

She nodded to them in general. She would have to make some sort of speech, she knew. But that would have to wait.

Zelda turned towards the second white tent which stood a little outside the ring and made her way through the throng. All the men and women she passed silently stood up to bow deeply. She wanted to order them to stop, to rest, but she knew they wouldn't listen or understand.

One of them, a middle aged man with a hard, weather-beaten face fell to his knees before her. He took the bottom of her dress and bowed almost to ground level to kiss it. Sir Craster twitched as if he wanted to draw his blade, but stopped himself just in time. The soldier looked back up, a blissful expression on him and tears in his eyes.

"My lady!" he whispered, his voice breaking.

Zelda was at a loss for words. She had no idea what to do. She had no idea what she had _done_! Had no description for this… magic that had come forth. Yet this man revered her for it.

She lightly, hesitantly touched his forehead with the palm of her hand, then stepped around him and continued on her way.

She couldn't stop herself from looking back. The man was still kneeling on the spot, motionless.

What had she become? A saint?

Zelda steeled her resolve and entered the field hospital. Immediately she had to suppress a retch as the stench of blood overpowered her sense of smell. 16 bunks with men and women in varying degrees of pain lined the tent wall. Two were separated by a screen so the others couldn't see. Another section had been walled up with canvas where her physician was working without break. She doubted he had had any rest whatsoever. The three nurses, helped by a handful of her maids were assisting him or were changing bandages, administering medicine or cleaning the patients when they no longer could.

These were the people Zelda admired. The people that could actually _do_ something and wouldn't rest to help even when it seemed pointless.

The canvas was pulled aside and the doctor, helped by two assistants, carried a sleeping soldier from his surgery back to his bunk. Zelda glanced into his workplace and immediately regretted her mistake. The place was… swimming. She looked away and shut her eyes.

Ignat, her physician ordered one of the maids to get more sand they could put on the ground, so they wouldn't slip on all this mess. He surveyed his patients , then noticed Zelda standing in the entrance, rooted to the spot. He quickly wiped his hands as best as he could and went to meet her.

"Your highness…" he began.

She interrupted him: "Please, look after your patients, doctor. Don't waste time with me." She said hastily.

He shook his head. "That was the last one. Now they need to rest until their wounds have closed." He shook his head again. By his rigid face and manic eyes she could see that only the tension kept this man from keeling over. She would need to keep him from his bed a while longer, regretfully.

"How are they faring?" she asked, trying to her regal voice to work again.

"These her will live." He pointed at the 14 to his right. "Unfortunately I could not save Sir Kessan's arm or Timmon's leg. They had to be removed."

Zelda nodded grimly, feeling queasier by the minute.

"Josy and Morris though will not survive, I fear. Morris has suffered a grave head wound. Josy's lung was punctured. I can help them no longer."

Zelda's mind once again conjured up images. She tried to will them away, but was powerless against them. She saw a man receiving a terrible blow to the back of his head by a whipping shadowy limb, just as he wanted to reach down to help up a comrade. She saw a youngish woman's chest getting pierced by a lightning quick bony spike that was one of the spectres' tail. She saw her fall to her knees, felt her pain, tasted her blood in her mouth as each breath seemed more difficult than the last. She was just about to turn and run out of the tent when, again, another vision entered her mind. A young woman kneeling by a wounded woman's side. Power flooded through her, as did the desperate will to help, to heal.

Could she…?

"Take me to them." She ordered, her voice sounding hoarse.

Ignat looked at her, sceptically. Her discomfort hadn't gone past him.

Sir Craster spoke up. "Your majesty, there is nothing to be done." He said urgently.

"Zelda…" Sally began, but stopped.

She shook her head. For the first time ever she focused fully on her vision instead of recoiling. She hoped it would last long enough and not fade.

"I will see them." She stated.

The doctor nodded slowly, then bade her to follow.

Once again, all conscious men and women watched her pass. She felt naked and helpless under their stares.

They reached the death chamber. Ignat immediately kneeled beside the man, Morris and held his ear to his nose and mouth. After a few seconds he straightened again. "He is gone."

Zelda nodded and knelt next to the dying woman. She was lying on her side, her face was white as a sheet, bloody spittle trickled from the corner of her mouth. Her short, laboured breath bubbled sickeningly from the blood in her lungs.

Zelda saw the tight bandage on her chest.

She let the emotions the images carried flow through her, even though they seemed to tear at her very soul.

She swallowed heavily. "Remove the bandage."

"My lady…" Ignat said patiently, as if soothing a child.

"Do it." she interrupted.

"Your highness, it's over!" he insisted, unease in his tired face.

"Do. It." It took all her determination to say it again commandingly.

The physician hesitated for a second. Then, with a grave expression he produced scissors, cut through the taut cloth strips and laid the wound bare.

It was a deep puncture, about the size of a coin. Red bubbles sprayed blood with each of the woman's ragged breaths.

Zelda felt her face being hit with tiny droplets, nausea welling up dangerously, but she could not care right now.

The woman in her mind closed her eyes and put her hand on the wound. Zelda, now trembling on her whole body, did the same with the woman before her eyes.

As her fingers touched wetness, the world held its breath. Time seemed to slow once more and the only movement was in princess Zelda's head. Her vision and her reality overlapped, light and warmth spread through her being and into her questing fingers. She felt life returning to the wounded, felt tissue growing and closing the damage.

Then suddenly the vision shut, the connection tore and the light was snuffed. For an instant she stared in horror and confusion at the wound, which didn't seem to have closed nearly enough.

Then Zelda felt her limbs and head grow heavy and her head going blank with severe exhaustion. She nearly fell onto the soldier, but was quickly steadied by a pair of small hands.

"Zelda! Zelda!" Saria shouted, panic in her voice.

The princess attempted to open her leaden eyelids. " 'm alright" she managed weakly.

She heard her physician exclaim. "The wound! Quick, you two carry her to the surgery and prepare suture material. I'll be right there!

Then he bent over her and opened her eyes with his fingers. "Princess, can you hear me?"

She gave an affirmative sigh. She felt as if she was hovering, her head seemed to be made of cotton. And she was thirsty beyond belief.

She felt him feel her pulse. "Faint. Give her a fresh cot and screen it off. Give her water, make sure she doesn't choke."

Zelda smiled as they bedded her on a wonderfully comfortable cot. Sally dribbled a few drops of water on her lips, which she licked off greedily. It tasted like the sweetest nectar.

What had she become? A freak, definitely. But maybe she could be a useful one.


	11. Weeks of Despair, Weeks of Joy

Intermission

Zelda:

Three days later she rode through the castle gate. Zelda had been loath to leave the camp and her wounded soldiers behind but she could not wait any longer. Her father's reinforcement had come as she had asked, bringing supplies and medicine. Her people would be able to heal until they were fit to travel again.

She had restored herself after the magic had desiccated her, had overseen the funeral rites for the 24 dead and had organized the rest of the troop. News of what she'd done had of course spread like wildfire. She had barely been able to move without someone trying to receive her "blessing". It had made her most uncomfortable and it was the only reason she was glad that she had left.

Josy, the woman she had… healed (it sounded so wrong in her head) now had a chance. Her physician had explained that the hole in her lung had miraculously closed. The outer wound was still there, she had lost a lot of blood and there was still a lot of it to be coughed up, before her lung could work properly again. Before she had left, Josy had said her first words. Hardly anything intelligible, understandably, more like feverish ramblings, but it was a start.

As she rode into the courtyard, accompanied of course by a sizeable gaggle of household knights, she looked around. Hyrule castle. High walls of smooth stone with constantly manned battlements, dozens of people working in the stables, the kitchen, the carpentry, royal guards being drilled by their sergeant… Even though it had always made her feel caged behind its walls, she felt immense relieve being back.

In front of the main gate stood Lord Holling, the king's lord chamberlain as welcoming committee. She had to smile briefly. Her father apparently had had mercy on her and hadn't staged a long winded, opulent reception.

She got off the horse, a little out of practice, and patted it thankfully. Her thighs were sore, but she had enjoyed her ride nevertheless. Of course they had wanted to transport her in that hideous carriage, but she had been in a commanding mood and had decisively put her foot down. Apparently news of her new found attitude had spread around as well because no one had argued for long. Saria was riding it back, currently. She had been none too happy about travelling in that monster alone, to put it carefully. Zelda would probably get a double dose of sarcasm once she got here.

She handed the reigns to the stable master and walked briskly towards the gate.

Lord Holling greeted her with a noble smile and a bow.

"Good morning, your highness. I was deeply worried to hear of your complications on the road." The elderly man said in a nasal voice his majestic moustache quivering.

'Complication', Zelda noted, raising an inner eyebrow. To this man anything that didn't directly concern him or this castle mattered little. To him a meteorite shower would probably 'heavy rain', as long as it happened somewhere else.

"I thank you, Lord Holling. The complications have claimed many a life, sadly." she couldn't refrain from saying.

The old noble didn't even move a muscle. He probably hadn't even heard.

"Might I suggest you take some time for refreshment, your highness? I have ordered Millie to prepare a bath for your pleasure."

Zelda had always suspected that every girl under this man's iron rule was named Millie, simply because he would not see the point in dignifying a servant by learning her name. Nonetheless, a bath did sound tempting… but that had time.

"I would speak to my father. Surely he is expecting me?" she said, a little uncertain. Was he?

"Naturally, your highness. He has worried greatly for your safety. But…" and for the first time the elderly lord's face showed an emotion: olfactory disapproval.

"Your majesty's journey has been a long one. And you have elected to come on horseback." He nosed.

With a sudden pang of self consciousness Zelda realized how awful she must smell. Her last proper wash had been in Ord and now she had ridden a whole day in this heat. She probably reeked of horse.

Sheepishly she let herself be led away into her chambers. She whipped off her dress and undergarments and practically jumped into the bathtub, earning a slight frown from the older and a stifled giggle from the younger maid. They washed her thoroughly, brushing her with sponges until her skin was pink and sparing no spot on her body. With a slightly ashamed (and a slightly painful) feeling she realized how tangled her usually smooth hair must have gotten. The maid muttered something under her breath about 'not brushing such hair, it's a crime'.

Lying in the warm water, feeling it caressing her skin and sooth her tense muscles, she wondered how her meeting with her father would be. They hadn't seen each other in 12 weeks…

She reluctantly got up, enjoying the feeling of water droplets running down her body. I have dallied enough, Zelda thought. I need to see my father.

Zelda waked briskly towards his father's library, where he spent most of his alone time. She was about to knock on the heavy oak door when one of the two royal guardsmen cleared his throat. "Shall I announce you, your highness?"

She nearly rolled her eyes. Ceremony, she thought derogatorily. It annoyed her immensely that she of all people couldn't just enter her father's room when she knew he was expecting her. During her travel she had been in charge. At least officially, she added glumly in her thoughts. It had been so much easier in its simplicity.

"Please do." She finally managed.

Her father's study was a high room, its walls lined with full bookcases that extended almost to the ceiling. In the middle was his desk, where he sat with his back to the sun. As she entered (with the o so important announcement) he stood up, walked towards her and, to her surprised, embraced her and held her tightly.

Instinctively she embraced him back, but it felt a little unaccustomed.

Zelda loved her father, in a distant sort of way, as she was certain he loved her. He was not someone who cherished closeness. She had accepted that long ago. This embrace was the closest they had been for years.

He released her and looked at her face.

"You seem to have grown. And you are as beautiful as your mother." he said with unusual affection.

Zelda couldn't say anything, instead looked down abashedly.

Then he turned around quickly as if that brief show of fondness was no embarrassing him. She watched him sit back behind his desk. His beard was a tad longer, but it was still neatly groomed. Possibly there were even more white strains in his hair than when she'd left.

"Now tell me! I want to hear a full report of the incidence from your lips also. Please."

And he bade her to sit before his workplace, the enormous table between them. Time for pleasantry was over, it seems, she thought dryly.

She sat and first gave a brief summary of how her first diplomatic mission to the Rito had gone. It had been little more than a training exercise with no real stakes attached.

Then she gave an accurate account of the happenings from the Bokoblin attack onwards. Naturally she omitted her adventuring in Ord village and Link. She had to stifle a tiny giggle at the utterly nonplussed face her father would have, if she told him that she had investigated a sooty smithy with a same-aged boy. Alone.

She spoke of that nightmare inducing night where her visions had for the first time given her a glimpse of the future, even if it had been just a few seconds. She described the terrible onslaught of the darkness her company had had no hope of defeating and the inexplicable talent she had shown when everything seemed lost.

She further explained her actions after, reporting her efforts of reorganizing her devastated retinue and her healing of a soldier using her newly found powers.

The king listened intently and did not interrupt her until she was finished.

He thought for a moment, stone faced, then said: "I thank you for your report. I will have to think on this. You are certainly tired from your… ride."

Zelda was dumbfounded. That had sounded like she was being dismissed, like an ill-behaved child!

"What?" she only managed, not wanting to believe it.

The king looked up at her again and calmly said: "You have done your duty and have prevailed even when it was dangerous. You are my daughter."

Zelda had to fight back her outrage. She had hoped to at least hear a clear word of praise for her commanding skills but now realized that had been a childish expectation. But to be shown the door when she had obviously been the target of an unprecedented attack… an attack that she had repelled, no less!

"What will be done about this unknown shadow? What will you do about Bokoblins in the heartlands? What about this, this magic that I have?" she pressed out, her discontent barely concealed.

Her father looked at her with his calm, nigh expressionless face. "Investigations will be conducted by my agents everywhere, I will personally scour every promising book for relevant information and I will discuss strategy with my general staff. None of which need concern you."

Zelda couldn't believe what she heard. Why was he so intent of keeping her away from this matter, in which she had already been dangerously involved? Did he not trust her? Was she still just a child in his eyes?

She had no doubt that whatever he did, it was to protect her. But she felt like she was being sent to her room for being a bad girl!

"I will not be so backhandedly excluded from this. This is clearly involving my person and I insist on taking part in investigating the origin of this threat." She said standing up, her voice getting louder without her meaning to.

Her father still sat idly. His voice had possibly gone even calmer when he answered. "And I insist otherwise. I will not risk your direct involvement. You will be kept informed on our progress, if that is your wish."

Zelda was damn near ready to jump over the table and claw his face. "So I am supposed to do what? Frolic in the gardens? Practice my sewing? Remain blissfully ignorant while there was an attempt on my life?" she had given up all semblance of being calm.

"If that is your wish. You are well protected and I will solve this mystery. I thank you for your offer to help, but it will not be necessary." He pronounced coldly.

Zelda stared at his steely blue eyes, furiously. She was about to turn on her heel and walk away when he spoke again.

"One more matter. I forbid you from researching or experimenting with your newly found power."

"WHAT?" she yelled.

"You said it yourself, my daughter. The two times you have used it, it resulted in you being unconscious and sickened. I will not let you put your health in peril for a force we have no understanding of. Rest assured, my scholars will investigate that matter also. And please, don't refer to it as magic. Magic is the power of beasts, not that of Hylia."

Zelda's rage was flooded by a wave of sheer disbelief. "Every sentient race, Zora, Goron, Rito, all of them exhibit magical talents from time to time." she said, hopelessly.

"Indeed. Further proving that they are closer to the beastly races than us."

"Hylian bigotry!" Zelda thought, disgusted. She closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths. She looked back at her father, still sitting reclined in his chair.

"You can not forbid me to at least conduct bookwork on my… talent. Please." She had found her calm voice again, even if it was elusive.

"I am afraid, I must! You said your power has been conjured by your visions. You explained to me that seeing, hearing, smelling and even reading can evoke these images in your mind and that you were near powerless to stop them, as it was with your mother. You might trigger something within you while studying, without even wanting to. It is too dangerous." the king explained with his cold, cast-iron voice.

Zelda gave up. Not on her plans, of course, but on reasoning with this man. He might mean well but Zelda didn't care right now. She would not allow his short-sightedness to impede her learning about herself.

She strut away from his desk with all the dignity she could muster. She had to fight back her tears.

"I will take my dinner in my room. I doubt I am worthy of a place at your table." She hissed scathingly.

The king did not even comment.

She stormed back to her chambers. Twelve weeks she had been the leader of a retinue, had held responsibility. She had parlayed with the elder of an allied race, she had shown her people her benevolence, she had fought and won a battle against an unknown enemy and had picked up the shambles afterwards.

And now she was reduced back to this! Sent away like a child to once again play the role of pretty princess, like a mindless jewel to be kept in a box and sometimes shown off.

She slammed the door to her bedchamber and fell on her bed.

This time she didn't fight back her tears.

Link

6 weeks later had passed since he had started to take training seriously and it showed. While he had always had an athletic build, his body was now very well defined. Whenever he ran past the laundry pool during his exercise (18 rounds by now, by the way) the women and girls strangely stopped what they were doing for a few seconds and watched…

Sir Russel crashed onto the ground for at least the 4th time today. Strangely, the more Link battered him, the happier the poor old man seemed to become. He had made him remember that it had taken him 4 manoeuvres to land a hit on Link. Now the tables had turned. More often than not it was Link who struck his mentor now, although the old knight always seemed to have more tricks up his sleeve.

Link walked up to him, grabbed his hand and helped him up. Tough as he was, the youth could see that the constant punishment was taking its toll on the man. But of course his pride would never let him admit that.

"Not bad!" he panted. "Good form. A little bit too much forward lean but other than that…" he nodded appreciatively.

Link couldn't help but smile. The training with those goddess-damned weights had paid off greatly. Whenever he switched from that ridiculous meat cleaver to his real steel, he thought he was holding little more than a feather. On his teachers command he had now stopped training with "Bertha" and they were focusing on sparring above all else.

"One more time!" the knight commanded.

They got back into position. Link waited. He had found that he slightly preferred initial defence and to react and counter. The only problem was that the old bear had a similar tactic. They circled one another for about ten seconds before Link lost patience. He stepped forward and jabbed once from both left and right, redirected Sir Russel's high horizontal slash over his head and leaned in for a low strike. The old knight stepped close to stop Link's arm with his side and wanted to plant a short swing in his student's side. Link reacted quick, turning his whole body and bringing his sword back up so the tip faced downwards and so, in turn, blocking his mentor's blow. The lad turned his defence into attack by scraping his steel along Sir Russel's arm and then cutting at the tendons in his armpit. That would be a hit. The whole exchange had taken two seconds.

Sir Russel grinned broadly, rubbing his punished axilla. "Good! I told you not to lean forward so much, I nearly got you there! Still, I believe you are already a dangerous enemy at the tourney, Link."

Link nearly burst with pride and actually felt his eyes well up a bit. That had been the first time when he wasn't just "Boy" during all their training.

"Now don't go all wishy-washy. We still have one week before we leave for the city and we'll need it. If you feel like getting cocky, remember that I'm almost four times your age, boy. You won't fight old rust-buckets like me during the tournament!"

Link knew that to be true, of course. He had not forgotten his humiliating defeat at the hands of that noble brat, Halvor. Even though he had fought dirty, he had still been in a wholly different class. Back then, at least.

One more week until their departure… Link could hardly wait!

On his way home he reflected on what he had learned today. While slow and gruelling at first, he could now easily see the substantial progress he had made in those few weeks. He smiled to himself.

Thankfully no more attacks had occurred. He had been hesitant about leaving the village together with the resident knight, if the threat of Bokoblin raids loomed overhead. But now they hadn't heard of any such disturbance for a while. Additionally, the king had sent four soldiers to each village along the north road to guard against attacks. While the fact that this had to be done was worrying in its own right, it had come as a relief overall. According to the oldest of the village such guard presence hadn't been necessary since about 50 years…

He also hadn't dreamed about Zelda. …except when he did, Link added in his thoughts, slightly blushing at the thought. Some of these dreams ended a little embarrassingly. Thank Farore's mercy, no one was around right now.

The following day he finally finished the blade he had been forging with the help of his father. Between mistakes that had to be corrected and his other work, it had taken altogether too long to at last see the final outcome. It was a simple sword, almost completely unadorned. A sword for being used, not one for hanging above someone's chimney. It had a sleek, razor sharp blade, a plain but practical guard, the wooden grip was wrapped in soft leather and the pommel was of ideal dimensions. Link was fiercely proud of his first finished product. It would not have come out nearly as professional without André's help, of course, but it still was his work.

His father once again took it, checked its straightness (Link's heart had nearly burst with nervousness after the quenching, the last moment when any warping could be fixed), checked the evenness of the grinding and sharpening he had done (he had been painfully careful not to introduce any asymmetry that would have spoiled the whole blade) and gave it a few measured swings to check its balance (Link had measured the dimensions of the pommel himself, hoping that his eyeballing would turn out the right weight). Link looked at André, holding his breath.

Finally he nodded a few times and gave an approving growl.

"Yes!" Link exclaimed happily. His father allowed him a slight smile and handed the blade back to him. "There you go. You earned it."

Link took the handle, confused. "What do you mean?"

His father had a sly expression on his face. "No swordsman should go travelling without a blade of his own. Especially no son of mine. You forged your own sword. Congratulations!"

Link nearly dropped it in shocked surprise. A sword of his father's smithy could be worth a few modest houses! This was an immensely precious gift, not only because of the price. He almost said something foolish like "I can't accept that!", but stopped himself. Instead he looked into his father's proud eyes and said his heart-felt thanks.

André nodded, patted him on the shoulder. "How much you've grown…" the hard man said with uncharacteristic softness. Link's blond hair still was just high enough to tickle his father's chin, but it was true none the less.

"Now! We still got work to do. We're behind." He said gruffly and took a piece of glowing metal from the forge.

Link would like nothing more than to swing his shiny new sword around like a dolt but knew that that had to wait, of course. His own sword! Not just some cheaply bought piece of ill fitting metal, either. _His_ own sword.

He wrapped it in a few layers of cloth. He would have to make a scabbard for it at some point.

Hyrule, here I come, he thought grinning as he was returning to sharpening arrows.

. . . . .

Fear.

Worry

Unrest

Alarm.

Fear had joined the spectrum of emotions of the ants on the surface. Sweet, delectable fear… And it only took a mere thought, a tiny flicker of destructive intent, born from Its still semi conscious mind, to send them spiralling down into fright.

It smiled.

Its awakening drew near. The world was almost ripe to be plucked and throttled by Its hands once more. Only a few more displays of Its burgeoning power and It would have Its resurgence.

It grinned.

Already It could see. See the world's people live their pointless lives, their only purpose to be snuffed out by his hands.

Already It could sense Its worshippers, Its tools to be used to sow chaos and to perish by his will.

Already It could feel Its adversary. Two beacons of light. Clueless. Hopeless. Powerless before him. Enemies to overcome, radiance to be forever darkened by his hatred.

It laughed. And the world shook in dread.


	12. Cryptical Confrontations

Chapter 11

Link

The third night. The third night of this dreadful, insufferable _snoring_!

Goddess, curse me with deafness and I shall be forever grateful, Link thought exasperatedly. He couldn't believe the infernal concerto Sir Russel and Ricco were performing. He wished he had his father's blacksmithing tongs with him so he could clamp their tongues to their eyebrows!

Link sighed, sleeplessly. It was the last night. They would reach the city tomorrow.

Truth be told, the hideous noise wasn't the only reason he couldn't sleep. He didn't want to admit it but he was terribly nervous.

In small part because it was the first time he was away from his family. He was in good company, no doubt about it, but still. By giving him his own sword, André had basically told him that he was almost a man grown and he trusted him to solve his own problems. A blade on his back meant he was a child no longer. The more he thought about it, Link did not feel like an adult… however that is supposed to feel.

The bigger part was, of course, the goddess-cursed tourney. He had trained until his bones cracked and his hands were chafed bloody. What if it wasn't enough? What if after all this practice he had to look in Sir Russel's eyes as the loser? And in his father's? And then there was her… he had promised her… indirectly… and in a fit of rage…

Not for the first time he cursed himself for his ungodly laziness during the first weeks of his training. How much more could he have learned? How much more secure would he be?

Ricco performed a particularly boisterous snore. While Link was extremely glad that his friend had been able to join him on this quest, he was just about ready to take a pillow and release him from his misery.

The racket took his sleep and made him ponder and speculate. Never a good thing before an important event…

Link stood up. He had to do something. Lying there, letting his brain wander unchecked he would be driven mad. He grabbed his sword and left their encampment. Like many times before he drew his blade and took a moment to admire his craftsmanship lovingly, an act that had already led to much merriment for Ricco. Link had once found him… snogging his blade, then making a shocked face and exclaiming "Leave us be! She loves me more than you!"

Link hadn't known whether to murder him or laugh his head off.

He now had a simple but durable scabbard, made of hardened leather and metal clasps. Mart had assisted him in fashioning it. Regretfully he hadn't been able to join them. Ric had tried to cheer him up by saying that someone had to make sure the village girls weren't lonely while he was gone. It had had mixed success. Especially since one of said girls was standing behind him with a carpet beater.

Link started doing his forms, slowly, feeling each muscle work in concert. From the first form to the most advanced and back down again.

Tomorrow they'd arrive. Sir Russel and he would have to confirm their participation in the tourney as advocate and combatant. Each fighter who wanted to compete at the great Hyrule tourney of swordmastery needed a man or woman of high rank as advocate. A dreadfully old tradition, but with every royal bla-bla you needed to take a few bureaucratic hurdles, it seemed. Apparently, when you had nothing else to do in your life as noble, you invented rules and regulations.

After their official entry, they'd have two more days until the tournament started. Time to become familiar with the arena and to spy on your fellow swordsmen. There would be 16 boys or girls under the age of 16. 15 rivals and Link had no idea who they were. Hylian, Gerudo, Rito, Zora… all had good fighters. Gorons were banned though. Give a Goron a blade of tournament approved dimensions and he could hardly use it as a toothpick.

In the last week of their training Sir Russel had tried to explain and imitate the different fighting styles of the four competing races. Of course, he had only been able to provide a very basic understanding of the differences and quirks. Link would have to learn what he could in those two days. He had no doubt that some of the noble born gentlefolk had used their connections and knew the roster very well, so they could prepare accordingly.

Link only had two advantages. His underdog status was one. Nobody expected some random hylian bumpkin to actually be decent. His left-handedness was the other. Although it would get interesting if he met another lefty right then... he hadn't trained against one of these freaks either...

Link was done with his regimen, for now. He glanced at the moon. About three in the morning. He checked the camp. Yep, still playing throat trumpet. And now he was hungry. Great!

Before he would lie back down, he had to conduct some urgent business behind the bushes. He wondered how big the arena was. How many eyes would follow his sword? He hoped he could block them out while fighting, he hated being watched.

He hated being… watched.

"Interesting. You noticed me." a female voice said, _very_ close behind him.

He flinched heavily and nearly squeezed something rather delicate.

He didn't dare to move. Whoever this was, she sounded near enough to stab him, if she wanted.

"Enjoying the show, are we?" was what a slightly suicidal part of his brain wanted to say. Instead he went with a shocked "Wrghah?"

"Finish up and follow." The voice commanded. She sounded old but firm. A hard voice.

Link repackaged and slowly turned his head. About 3 metres away stood a tall, straight-backed woman, facing away. She was wearing a black cloak even in this heat, so he couldn't really see much else. Only a braid of snowy white hair was visible as it was slung around her neck. She held a wooden long staff in her right, bandaged hand.

Link turned around fully and grabbed the hilt of his sword. He stood unmoving for a few seconds, his scabbard in his right hand, still sheathed blade in his left. His heart still beating fast he took a deep breath. "Excuse me, if I am being rude but who the hell do you think you are?" he hissed.

She turned around slightly so he could see her profile. In the poor light he couldn't be sure but she looked at least 70. She smiled.

"Here you train, here you stand, asking so many questions, having so many thoughts and they're all the wrong ones. All terribly unimportant. Will you be able to ask the right questions in time? Hmm?" she asked in a motherly, sing-song voice.

Link had no answer. This situation was just too bizarre.

"Follow." She ordered him again.

"No! How stupid do you think I am?" he exclaimed. He wouldn't follow a strange voyeur lady to who knows where. Link had a distinct feeling that this woman was quite dangerous, even at her age.

"A little, still. But alright. I would merely prefer to talk without that walking mountain's snoring interrupting me." She sighed, turned around to face him squarely and sat down, cross legged. Her staff she placed in front of her.

Link thought for a moment, weighing his options. He was in earshot of his companions, but whether they would hear him over their racket was questionable. Should he sit down with this madwoman? She seemed peaceful enough right now. Apparently she wanted to talk.

…fine!

He sat down, just out of range of her staff, his fingers never leaving his sword hilt.

"Does an old woman with a stick look so threatening to you, hero?" she softly laughed.

Link frowned at her sarcastic 'hero'. Who does this crone think she is? But if she has to ask… "You _are_ an old woman. But you reached your age with a straight back and your movements are neither trembling nor frail. You have no need of a walking stick. You are a fighter and this is your weapon." He explained tersely.

She looked at him from under her hood. He thought he could make out a slightly surprised expression. "An analytical mind! Very good. I feared you'd just be a simple boy who only knows how to swing his sword." she said appreciatively. Link's temper was roused nevertheless at her apparent opinion of him, but he remained calm, for now.

"Since we are already trading pleasantries, why don't you introduce yourself? I would love to know the name of the woman that sneaks up on people a fraction of her age from behind while they are preoccupied." Link grumbled.

"All in good time, Link." She purred.

Link clenched his jaw and tightened his grip on his sword. "How do you know my name?" he growled, not bothering to hide his hostility.

She seemed unperturbed. "You could say I am a watcher. One of the last of my kind. I make sure that that which matters most is not forgotten." She intoned.

Link could not say if this was an elaborate prank or if this crone was actually taking herself seriously. "I have forgotten to bring my favourite snack from my village. Did you bring it?" he said, feigning seriousness.

The old woman cackled softly. "Goddesses, you both are so young. It is truly regrettable." Then she turned dead serious all of a sudden and Link flinched. "Listen. The ancient one is stirring. It will soon make Its presence felt. Darkening of shadows, peril behind every corner, fear in everyone's eyes. You will sense it. You have to be ready!" she whispered.

Something in her voice made Link shiver. Her words touched something inside him that caused substantial unease. Whether or not this woman was insane, she was dead serious. But she was making no sense. "Stop speaking nonsense. You speak of danger, yet you don't mention its origin. You say I will sense it, but don't say what I'm supposed to sense. And you spoke of 'us both'. I want answers, not riddles!"

She looked at him, her hood making her expression unreadable. "Very well. Fight me for the answers you seek."

Link barely had time to make a befuddled face before she rolled forward, picking up her staff mid turn and whacked him heavily on the head with it. Link reacted more out of instinct than anything else when he rolled to the side and whipped his sword out. He barely managed to block the crone's follow-up horizontal strike. His whole arm felt numb. That staff had immense force behind it!

"What in damnation? You cheat!" he yelled, careful to stay out of her range.

"This is not your little tournament, boy. This is life. Fight for it!" she hissed and jumped forward, ramming her staff towards his face. Link dodged and tried to cut at his assailant's arm. She turned, using the other end of her weapon to deflect his strike, whipped around fully and swept both his legs from under him.

Link grunted in pain but rolled backwards instantly as he hit the ground, narrowly avoiding a vicious downwards hit aimed for his body.

He stood, heart racing. Cold sweat formed on his back. This was serious. She was going to kill him! He wasn't fighting to win, he was fighting for his life!

He tried to call for help but she interrupted him by executing a wide-arced attack. Link stepped back, feeling the wind from the staff's tip on his face. A split second slower and she would have taken his head right off!

Link tried to regain his focus. Fearful reaction would only make him predictable. He couldn't stay at a distance, that was her weapon's strongest point! He needed to step close. Her staff's momentum would be much more manageable and his shorter sword would be quicker. Theoretically… the old woman was incredibly fast!

He darted forward. He was met by quick jab from the left which he met with his sword. Due to the shortened distance his sword arm wasn't quite as shaken, but he still felt a jolt run through his entire body.

Now he was in range! With his left holding her weapon in check he whipped his right, still holding the hard leather scabbard, towards her head. Impossibly quick she ducked, turned and used the back end of her staff to redirect Link's blow harmlessly over her. She had used the same move before! Link, as if following a higher power, jumped. Once again she finished her twist with a wide low sweep, which now met only air. Link, still airborne had just enough time to whip his right downwards towards her head before she could put her guard back up. As if she could read his mind, she stepped away, but this time, not quite fast enough. She took a glancing hit on her forehead but that hardly stopped her. She used the momentum of her turn and whirled the back-end at his temple. Link's hastily raised guard was smashed through and his own blade cracked against his skull sideways. Since he had only just touched the ground again he lost his balance and fell heavily on his side. His vision was flashing from the hit on his head. He only heard the deep 'whoop' sound of the staff's tip speeding towards him.

I am dead.

Strangely, not much changed by being dead. His calves and head still hurt the same, which he thought was rather unfair.

Slowly his vision returned and he saw the dangerous tip a centimetre from his face. He dared not to move but looked up at his attacker. His grazing hit had whipped away her hood. She looked even older, now that moonlight fell on her face. And she had red eyes!

"You have exceptional skill. But you lack conviction. The next time someone attacks like I have just done, strike to kill. Defending only half-heartedly will mean your death and the death of her."

He didn't know what to say. He was still too shocked from fighting for his life and then being spared. This old woman had bested him as if it were nothing!

"Not true!" she said. "Nobody has managed to hit me in 30 years." Could she read his mind? She slowly moved her staff away from his face.

"Listen, boy! Ancient evil is starting to take a hold on the land. It cannot yet take form, but it has many who would worship It as god. And they have heard Its call. They will soon be ready to come into the open. Trust only those closest to you. You have to be ready, both in body and in mind. You must become the protector." She whispered urgently.

"Whom? Whom do I have to protect?" Dozens of faces flooded his mind. His parents', his siblings', Ric's, Marten's, the people's in his village. Her beautiful face, almost hidden behind maid's clothing, yet still haunting him sweetly.

"Light, my boy. You have to protect the light." She said softly, almost sadly.

She executed a complicated gesture with her free hand.

Suddenly Link was blinded by a flashing light. He heard a hiss of air and then silence. When his vision cleared he was alone.

He jumped up but dizziness made him sit back down. His head was swimming with the old crone's weird statements and his temple throbbed fiercely. For an instant he vainly hoped that he wouldn't have to compete with a face sagging from a huge bruise. …but it seemed that the tournament was not the most important thing he needed to focus on, if the woman was to be believed. Link was still very unsure in the matter. Should he take those seemingly crazy ramblings seriously? Ancient evil? Worshippers? Protector of light? It sounded like a title he would've invented when he was ten and fought his friends in epic fantasy struggles.

On the other hand… the uneasiness that had descended on Ord? People scurrying from house to house as if, all of a sudden, afraid of the dark? Bokoblins scampering through the night? That odd, terrifying dream he'd had about darkness assailing the princess?

It was ridiculous but Link felt a connection. And to his surprise he found that he was willing to believe the crone. At least insofar that he would stay watchful.

He sighed. Well, at least the princess he didn't have to protect. She was probably the safest person on the world, behind the castle walls, guarded by an army of soldiers and knights.

Sigh, again. Not for the first time he wondered what she would do when she saw him again. Was she still mad because of the asinine things he had said? She could probably just order her guards to arrest him as soon as he stepped into the ring... Or, maybe once he'd won the tourney and he stepped towards her to be prized by her, she'd just slap him and tell him to go to hell. That would probably be the talk of the town for months…

Aargh, he was brooding again. He brushed dirt off his blade and sheathed it. If nothing had attacked him by now, he was probably safe. His head had stopped spinning so he stood up.

Link walked over to where the woman had stood before she had… magicked away. It was hard to tell by moonlight, but he was pretty sure that no tracks led away from the spot he had last seen her. What was that woman? First she had snuck up on him and he had barely noticed her at all. Then she had thoroughly kicked his butt, shaking him with her apparent murderous intent. And then she had seemingly just flown away after prophesizing doom.

"What. The actual. Fuck." Link mumbled incredulously.

Naturally, sleep had not been feasible that night. Link was sitting on the cart drawn by Sir Russel's aging horse, staring ahead. His tired but overwrought mind was playing tricks on him. Every harmless traveller they met on the road seemed shifty, somehow. They all moved weirdly. As if they had something to hide.

Link rubbed his eyes. Maybe the horse really wasn't a horse at all, but just two assassins in costume, waiting for the right moment, he thought cynically. Link knew these observations to be figments of his brain, fuelled by this night's craziness.

Thankfully his face seemed to be normal. If his temple had been bruised, reliable old Ricco would have pointed it out in his usual, discreet manner. Probably something like "What sort of immorality did you try with the horse that it kicked you?"

He had to smile. At least he could count on his friend to keep him somewhat grounded. Once they were out of earshot of Sir Russel, he planned to tell Ric what had happened right away. Link was anxious to know what he thought of the whole matter. Somehow Sir Russel didn't seem like the person who would take him seriously, if he explained that a crone had beaten him in a battle, talked of disaster and then flew away…

"Hey, sleepyhead! Look!" Ricco exclaimed.

Look woke from his stupor to actually take a look. A big smile formed on his face. Walls of white stone, watchtowers, 30 metres high and enthroned on the central hill, the castle. Hyrule city, the crown jewel of the country.

"Goddess, I'd hoped I never have to set foot in that cesspit again." Sir Russel growled. Link and Ricco turned to each other and demonstratively rolled their eyes. The old bear had been grumbling the entire trip. The boys didn't care if it was dirty, crowded or filled with scoundrels. It was new and exciting and they strongly suspected that the old grump wasn't being rational.

"What is it, Sir Russel? An old paramour, perhaps, that has spurned your _tender_ advances?" Ricco asked, innocently. Link spluttered in a burst of laughter.

"I'll give you tender, you tub of lard. Who even asked you to come along?" mumbled the old bear.

Link had to get in on that conversation. "Ricco is right, you know. It does sound like you have a lost love in there. Maybe it's not too late? It has only been, what, fifty years? A shy question, flowers, chocolate, a challenge to a bloody duel… what woman could say no?"

"Knows the grown man with boundless experience." Scoffed the knight.

"Now stop your mucking around for one second. Nayru's wisdom, I think I have aged ten years during these four days."

They were approaching the north gate, an enormous archway of stone with a huge drawbridge spanning a moat of muddy water. The iron rings that would hoist the bridge were each thicker than Link's body.

Sir Russel had a brief conversation with the captain of the gate guards. He showed them his knightly seal and asked for an escort to the compound which would house them for the duration of the tournament.

Link looked at his mentor incredulously. An escort? Why in the world would anyone try to attack three armed men on a cart filled with a few scrapes of food?

But soon Link knew why. The roads of the city were one whole network of traffic congestion. People walking briskly to and fro, people who drove their slow ox carts along, people who would cry death threats at said ox cart drivers for holding up everything… in short: people. And chaos. And an escort of city guards did help to secure a little right of way. Sometimes.

Link and Ricco didn't mind whatsoever. From the cart they could watch the colourful turmoil of people and pay close attention to the most creative swearing of the Hyrulers. It didn't take long for Sir Russel to also add a few new interesting expletives to their rapidly growing collection. A country boy could learn a lot on the streets, it seemed. They passed the outskirts of a small market, only 100 metres away from the gate. Link and Ric looked with shining eyes at the assortment of exotic foods, flowers and animals. They spotted a market stall that seemed to sell solely spices. A dynamic Gerudo lady was inviting anyone to buy her mixtures of wonderfully coloured red and orange seasonings. Next to her a Zora's stall offered impossibly looking fish and other seafood. Some of them were still very much alive and he had to continually keep weird tentacly things from escaping. A few metres away stood a Goron with a vendor's tray, offering… freshly heated gravel?!

The two boys were quite disappointed when the cart left the square behind. Sir Russel chuckled and told them that that had been just a small local market and the one on Hylia square was incomparably more interesting. They promised each other that they would check it out, if there was time.

After a few more crowded streets (and a lot more inventive cussing) they reached the gymnasium that would be their abode and Link's training spot for the last two days.

A bored clerk wrote down his and his advocate's name and showed them their rooms. Link, carrying his sparse belongings could already see two men sparring in the inner yard. They both looked older than him, for which he was glad. They were _good_.

You couldn't even beat an old woman, a nasty voice in his head supplied. Link ignored it as best as he could.

The rooms that were at their disposal were impressive. Not gaudy, but spacious, well kept and nice. They were even subdivided into bedroom and small living plus dining room. Even with Ricco's nightly concerts, this should be no problem. Sir Russel had gotten his own room, of course.

"Ah, this appears to be the ideal spot for my humble servant to stay the night." Link exclaimed, pointing at the thin rug in the living room.

"Humble servant would prefer a place at master's side, so master won't need to fear the night so much." Ricco countered without skipping a beat.

"The only thing keeping me up at night is your infernal racket. I swear, if you don't let me sleep at night, I will hang you in the courtyard by your…"

"BOY!" Sir Russel's thundering voice interrupted. "Come over here!"

Link walked outside, being followed by Ric's mumbled "Who's a good boy? You are, yes you are!"

The old knight was standing next to a slim man in his fifties. Short, grey hair and a light stubble. "Link, I want you to meet Sir Alistair, an old friend. He is one of the royal blademasters and will referee the tournament. Sir Alistair, my charge, Link Andrésson."

The man promptly extended his hand and Link did the same. The blademaster gave him a curt nod. This was undoubtedly a tough man, Link could tell by his grip and the calluses on his hands. An important and respected man! But nevertheless he greeted him evenly, from swordsman to swordsman. Link liked him already. He judged him a fair referee.

"Sir Russel is vouching for you. From him that is a sign of high respect. I hope you will live up to that. And I do not mean winning." He said in a rough, toneless voice, that startled Link. He glanced at the man's throat and now noticed an uneven faint white scar that ran across.

What had that enigmatic statement meant? That he shouldn't cheat?

"I aim to do so, Sir. I care not for hollow victories." Link said seriously.

"Good. Not shy either. I make a point of meeting my contestants. It allows me to watch carefully where it's needed. I hope I am not wrong with you." He rasped.

"He's a good kid, Alistair. He won't be a problem." Sir Russel interjected.

The blademaster hmphed, excused himself and left.

They looked after him. There was a man who had a fascinating, charismatic aura around him. "I was 18 when I first met him. He was fourteen. I had won the tourney the year before. And he trounced me as if I was a snot-nosed street urchin." Sir Russel snorted, shaking his head softly.

Link stared at his mentor. Even more interesting!

The old knight looked at him strictly. "Do you even know what blademaster means, boy?" he barked.

"Highest honours for skill with weapons. They train the royal guard and even the royal family. There's only ever seven of them." Link recited distractedly, thinking about the skill Sir Alistair must have.

The old bear grunted appreciatively.

Link grinned like an idiot. This place got more interesting by the minute. The city was fascinating, the people crazy and there were awe inspiring persons about.

I think I might like it here!


	13. Rekindling Reunion, Eyes of Blood

Chapter 12:

Zelda

The princess was watched more closely now than when she had been a toddler and she hated it with every fibre of her being. And it was done so 'subtly' that it was just infuriating. Strangely, the same few servants would happen to be in the library or her study, lightly dusting off surfaces that had already been cleaned, not paying attention to her _at all_. One day an exasperated Zelda had herself cleaned her study to sparkling shininess, just to see what the coincidentally roaming servant would try to scrub while _not_ watching her. The result had been both hilarious and sad. The poor lad had looked around in near panic, trying his hardest not to lay an eye on her but still find a reason to remain in the room.

Naturally, Zelda had still tried to find out as much as she could but it hadn't been easy. She couldn't just go against the expressed wishes of the king. She had no doubt that her father could and would confine her to her rooms, if she rebelled too openly. So she had used stealth, cunning and her greatest weapon: Sally.

"Voilà, another useless book, lovingly stolen by your caring cousin!" she sang. Zelda had to admit, she had a point. "It is absurd. Hardly any of the texts we've scoured for information discuss anything older than 2000 years. It's almost as if history just began there. I don't know if that is relevant yet, but it is definitely an oddity. And that one paragraph in "History of the most noble House of Hyrule" keeps bugging me." Zelda mumbled.

"What does it say?" Sally asked with hardly any interest.

"It reads "After the Threat was conquered a millennium and a half prior and the royal line was again firmly enthroned with their Queen and her husband, the land toiled no longer. The Queen and her arts, while always highly revered in footnotes of ancient texts, seem forgotten today. Barely any written document mentioning Her or the man at her side remains however. Odd, one thinks, as doubtlessly she is the progenitor of today's royal family." That text was written almost 500 years ago, so once again we are at this obscure limit of 2 millennia." Zelda explained.

"'The queen and her arts'. Is that what has drawn your attention?" Saria yawned.

"I can see the life of a scholar suits you exceptionally well… but yes, that is a promising line. But in all the books you have brought me that is the only time her 'arts' are mentioned. It is like we have just forgotten a part of our history."

Sally pointedly cleaned her ear with a bored face. "Fascinating."

"Oh you're impossible!" the princess exclaimed, irritated. "I am trying to shed some light into the whole matter and here you are, more preoccupied with earwax!"

Sally nodded silently and flicked her cleaning finger at her cousin, who squealed pleasingly.

"Really?!" Zelda yelled, not entirely able to keep herself from laughing.

"Zelda, you've cooped yourself up in here for the last eight weeks. I understand you are working on your noble ivory complexion but this can't be healthy. You are too obsessed right now and you aren't even progressing. You're going to be a shrivelled old prune before you find anything worthwhile. Look! I think I can see the first wrinkles, right there!"

Zelda deflected her cousin's finger (the same she had cleaned her ear with, of course, wouldn't be Sally otherwise) but had to admit that she had a point. With Saria's expert roguish talents there had not been an impasse of reading matter for weeks but the results were hardly existent. She yearned to be outside more but hadn't allowed herself that luxury so far. Perhaps a little distraction would help her see connections that she had previously missed?

"Alright then, you insufferable pest. What do you have in mind?"

"Would you look at that! A flick of my finger and the princess sees sense! If only I had known it was so easy!" she sighed dramatically.

"Sally…" Zelda warned.

"You are not the only one you've kept imprisoned here, you know?! I have had to stay in this dungeon too, thanks to your constant highly questionable desire for books and my sheer unfathomable will to help out of the goodness of my heart, bless me!" the smaller girl huffed.

"Sally!" Zelda threatened.

"Right. You are still organizer of the tourney of swordmastery, are you not?"

Zelda nodded. Traditionally the first born son would hold this honour, but since there was none… She had kept on holding that responsibility because it gave her an excuse to remain in her study 'organizing' the whole day.

"Excellent. By now all the fighters should have arrived at the gymnasium. Why don't we do a little inspection, make sure the boys and girls behave?" Saria suggested, a glint in her eye.

Zelda raised a tired eyebrow. "Why do I get the feeling that you just want to take a close look at the young men there?"

"Naturally!" Sally confirmed unabashed. "One has to make sure they are all healthy and in good shape, else serious injury could occur during the competition. And if some of the boys just happen to be showing off their skills with their shirts off, well… what can you do?" she shrugged innocently.

"Letch."

"I am a normal, healthy young woman with normal, simple interests who has been kept inside poring over dusty old tomes for two months." She intoned seriously.

Zelda shook her head, rolling her eyes.

"It's just boys Zelda. They are practically made to be looked at! Don't tell me you are suddenly so holy that you aren't interested in a little show, I know you better than that. And you know it's nothing more than a little peeking! We have done that since we were eleven!"

Zelda blushed but couldn't really deny their rare but interesting forays to the training plaza of the royal guard.

"And by the way: Your Ordian acquaintance that has impressed you so should be there as well, right? Link was his name?" Sally said slyly and had the audacity to raise her eyebrows at her.

Zelda knew that he'd be there. But she wasn't sure what to think of that fact. They had both been quite uncivil, the last time they'd met, so this could get supremely awkward. And what if he was still just angry at her?

… but she did want to see him again, she had to admit to herself. Even if there was no chance of even a brief private parley during such a visit…

Sally sighed histrionically. "Oh well, seems like you don't care. Seems like I have to go alone. Who knows? Since you have given him my name as yours, maybe I can have his undivided attention. I'd love to know what about him captured your interest so. I'll tell him you said 'hi' when we're alone!" she said in the most greasy way Zelda could imagine and turned to leave.

"You deplorable scoundrel, not another step!" Zelda grumbled, corking her inkwell and standing up. She knew she had lost and that Sally would never, ever let her forget it.

Setting up an impromptu inspection had been surprisingly easy. She was the highest authority in the matter, true, but she had been afraid that the king would have disallowed her to leave the stronghold. No such ban had been in place however and so she and Saria were almost at the compound in their carriage. Her cousin was positively vibrating with anticipation. Zelda had to admit that it felt wonderful to have left her study and be out in the city again, seeing, hearing, smelling. Even though she had an armed escort, of course, she felt freer than she had in the last two months. And she couldn't deny a certain thrill either. It was the first time she had been so closely involved in the annual tourney, as she was of a decent age now. She knew the names and origins of the combatants, naturally, but she would enjoy the chance of seeing them face to face before the fighting started.

A runner had been sent from the castle previously to announce her visit and to make sure that all participants were present. A welcoming party was awaiting them at the entrance of the gymnasium. Of course, Zelda would have preferred just arriving without causing a fuss, but that was just utopistic.

The entire staff of the place was standing ready in front of the large building. Waiting in front of everyone else stood Sir Alistair, her first advisor on matters of procedure of the duels. She liked the man, although she distinctly remembered being very afraid of him and his voice when she had been a little girl.

Zelda and Sally descended from the carriage, accompanied by a collective bow of the staff, and walked towards their reception.

"Your highness. My lady." The blademaster greeted her and her cousin. "Allow me to say up front that I think it a wise idea to meet these men and women. Not only have they agreed to display their skills for you, they may also one day be the very guards that protect your life. They will not forget today's showing of appreciation."

Zelda didn't have to look to know that Saria had a smug expression on her imp-face. "I thank you for your council, Sir. I must admit that it was my cousin's idea, though, lest I do her injustice." Zelda said nobly.

The aging man smiled and nodded in Sally's direction. "A born political advisor then." He said, not without humour.

Sally laughed dryly. "I would hardly say so, good Sir. I merely provide motivators for weary princesses."

Zelda wanted to pinch her, but refrained with some difficulty.

The knight smiled softly, bowed again then briefly introduced the staff and letting them explain their duties. Zelda listened well, but most of her attention was elsewhere. She was actually getting a bit giddy. Damn it, girl, keep it together, she scolded herself.

Once the flustered and vaguely proud people running the gymnasium had had their say, Sir Alistair led them through the main building and into the courtyard.

There awaited 32 young men and women, separated into two groups of 16: left the standard and right the junior roster. Behind each contestant stood his or her advocate. They stood to attention, terribly unnaturally and stiff.

"Ooh, now we're getting somewhere." Her unbelievable cousin cooed only for her to hear.

"Let them stand at ease, Sir." She asked her guide.

Sir Alistair barked the command and there was a visible wave of relief. She also noticed that the young men were eying her rather keenly whenever they thought she wouldn't notice. She now surveyed each of them briefly, from left to right. Strapping young fellows all around, she had to admit. There were 6 Gerudo, 4 Rito and 3 Zora fighters. Twenty male and twelve female.

And there in the rightmost spot was Link. …he seemed taller than when she had last seen him. He looked right at her with those deep blue eyes of his, not trying to hide it.

She looked away quickly before people could think that she was staring.

"We seem to have a comparably big variety in this years line-up." She mentioned, stating the obvious.

"Aye. It varies, of course. One year we had Hylians only. Boring affair." Sir Alistair rasped curtly. "This year is good!"

She nodded. She had on the way thought about how she should address them.

She focused her clear, majestic voice at them. "Men and women of the sword! You have come here to show the world your prowess. You have trained hard and diligently to impress my people. For that I honour you. You have already proven yourself by standing in this select group. You represent the very best in your field. Be proud in your accomplishment, as we, the people, are proud. Winner or not, you will be remembered."

That last part rang a bit hollow, even to her ears, but she didn't really know how to end her speech. Involuntarily she looked to the far right. He had a soft grin on his face. She had to keep her own lips from smiling back. Looks like he wasn't too mad at her. She felt a bit embarrassed at the relief that flooded through her.

Now she noticed that two people stood behind Link, an old knight and a large young man.

Sally made a soft 'hmmm' noise. Zelda glanced at her cousin. Apparently the little gremlin had followed her gaze and was now eyeballing Link with a very interested face. That little scamp! she thought irritably.

"Well spoken. Do you wish to greet them personally?" asked Sir Alistair.

"I do."

He led her to the older contestants first. Sally followed suit and graced her cousin with tiny, almost inaudible sounds of rejection or approval for each of them.

Slim, long haired boy: no.

Tall, dark intense boy: yes.

Gerudo lady with short red hair: no no.

Muscly, deep voiced boy: very yes.

Zelda almost lost her composure and had to bite her lip to stop herself from giggling. She couldn't even tell her to stop!

Other than that she actually enjoyed talking to them. Some where verbose, others shy, some seemed very nervous, some determined. One or two of the highborn lads she had seen before during some event, some time.

The closer she got to the end, the tenser she became. What would she say? What would he say? This was a mistaaaaaaaaaake…

Finally, after a minute with the junior group's only Zora, she finally reached him. She looked at him up close now. Her eyes were just level with his mouth which showed a slightly playful grin. His dark blonde hair was softly swaying in the wind. In his eyes Zelda could see the same gentleness that she had noticed at their first meeting… and a little tension.

Well thank goddess he is nervous about this too, she thought, exhaling.

"Greetings, your majesty!" he finally said, bowing. The way he said her title wouldn't sound suspicious to anyone except her. To her his little emphasis basically said "No costume today?"

"And I greet you, Link Andrésson." and she nearly bit her tongue. She shouldn't just know who he was! What was she thinking?!

"Ah, the disadvantage of being the last of the list! Now I am denied the pleasure of introducing myself." He saved her, without skipping a beat. He gave her a crooked smile.

Through sheer force of will she held back her own smile that was trying to muscle its way on her face. Instead she treated him to a regal little nod.

"Forced harmless conversation, come on!" She thought. You're a princess, you've been engaging in mindless prattle since you were old enough to hold a spoon!

"The village of Ord you call your home, I read?"

"Indeed, your highness." Again with the weird 'your highness', she noticed.

"Your father, I am told is an excellent craftsman, his steel highly sought after." Slowly the old instincts were coming back.

"You do him and me great honour, your majesty. I will certainly tell him of your great compliment."

"I beg your pardon, your majesty. Would you excuse me and this young man's advocate for just one moment?" Sir Alistair suddenly grated.

She looked at him, briefly surprised. "Certainly, sir. There is no rush."

The old man nodded and the two knights went a few metres away into a huddle.

Link looked after them, making a wondering face but didn't say anything.

Zelda was about to decide whether to say anything a little less vague, when Saria piped up.

"Well, now that our two old chaperones are gone: Greetings, Link. I would be Sally. I am sure you have heard of me." She chattered cheekily.

Zelda pondered whether to discard her cousin's body in the river or the landfill.

"I see. It is a pleasure to finally meet you, Lady Sally." Link bowed, his face a little bewildered, but mostly amused. "I have been made aware that you too are interested in blacksmithing?"

"So I've heard." Sally chuckled.

Thankfully they all kept their voices low enough that nobody else could hear.

"And who do we have here? How is the imposing young man behind you, Sir Link?"

Link's face took a very "Oh goddess!" sort of look.

The large boy grew a whimsical grin, snapped to attention and rumbled in a nasal voice: "Lord Hamwell Cockelstrong, AT… your service!" and he bowed so low that his nose nearly touched the ground.

Zelda could see a few aghast faces turn this way. Thankfully the two old knights hadn't heard anything.

Sally seemed to engage in a quiet but intense laughing fit.

Link rolled his eyes seemed to whisper a quick prayer before saying "No, you're not. You are Ricco Torosson, the village idiot."

This Ricco didn't skip a beat and said "Indeed I am, gracious Ladies. But I left my frivolous duties to make sure my boy here eats properly."

"Well, you certainly seem to know how to do so yourself!" Sally countered, grinning mischievously.

"Stop!" Link said to his friend.

"Enough!" Zelda said to Sally.

Then the two looked at each other again, surprised. Then they had a giggling fit.

Zelda covered her mouth with her hand and bit at the skin on her finger to calm down. Link wasn't in a much better state.

She was almost sure that _everyone_ was watching them by now, but somehow, she cared very little. She noticed the looks on Sally's and Ricco's face. They were glancing at each other as if saying "a job well done!". Either that, or "look at those two idiots!"

Thankfully Sir Alistair came to her rescue. The two old men seemed to be blissfully ignorant of all this madness. Or had chosen to ignore it.

"Have you finished with this young man, your highness?" he rasped.

"I believe I have." She said breathlessly. And to Link: "Thank you. I wish you luck during the fights." She turned around, ready to leave.

The blademaster however asked: "Would my lady like a demonstration? I am sure the boys and girls would be honoured to give you and your cousin a private show."

"We graciously accept!" Saria said so quick Zelda hadn't even had time to open her mouth.

The old knight showed a tiny grin but was waiting for her to confirm.

"Very well. It seems I have no choice in the matter." She finally acceded.

About half an hour later the two girls were in their carriage on the way back to the castle.

"I still can't believe that you didn't let them show us a second bout. It would have been fun!" Sally nagged.

"I think you have had quite enough fun this afternoon, my dear!" Zelda replied, a little cross with her cousin. She had made her look like a complete idiot in front of everyone… at least she had felt like one.

Sally grinned widely, impishly. "I guess I did. I guess so did you."

Zelda smirked. She couldn't quite deny that.

Saria sighed. "Now I know why you are so fascinated… he's cute!"

She couldn't quite deny that either, but… "I am not _SO_ fascinated, you meddling brat!" she mumbled.

"Of course you are. And so is he." The younger girl chirped, contently.

Zelda hesitated, but in the end gave in and asked: "You think so?"

Sally gave her a look. "Sweety, you are as blind as a bat."

Zelda blushed. She hated herself for it, but she couldn't help it.

"And what about you and Link's friend, this Ricco? I almost thought I'd have to find an excuse to leave you at the gymnasium, you flirt."

Now it was Sally's turn to blush, something that occurred exceedingly rarely.

"Oho!" Zelda allowed herself a mischievous grin. "Look at you! Was it his impressive physique! No, I know! It was the tactless utter nonsense he said. I can see the similarities!" she cooed.

"Huh!" Sally huffed. "You won't get any weak denials out of me!"

Touché.

They continued their ride in pleasurable silence. Zelda couldn't quite hide her soft smile and didn't care to. As she had expected, seeing that boy again had been very awkward. But also very, _very_ fun.

Zelda had arrived back at her chambers, tired but happy. She had made a mental note to thank Saria for wresting her away from her desk. Thankfully she had thought of taking her notes with her and hiding the stolen book behind a flowerpot on the balcony. She was sure that someone had 'tidied up' during her time away.

She had decided not to continue working for today, but to unwind. She had taken a bath and was now brushing her hair, clad in a large towel. She absentmindedly looked outside. She loved the view of Hyrule city in twilight. The people slowly preparing to retire to their homes, the streetlights being slowly lit one by one to light the city in a soft, yellow light, similar to the stars on the deep blue sky.

Blue like…

Aah no, stopstopstopstopstop! Zelda put her face in her hands. What is going on with her head! Could she, please, form one coherent thought without his stupidly grinning face popping up? Any thought at all?!

Suddenly an image broke into her consciousness. A vision, her sitting at her vanity, being watched by a figure in dark clothes.

She whipped around. There it sat, covered completely by a black cloak. Her sword was two metres to her left on its stand. The one time she needed it!

"Both of you detect me. Fascinating!"

A female voice! Old, strong, not unkind.

"Guards!" yelled Zelda.

"They are asleep. So is your maid. They were not harmed, I swear it." The woman was as calm as if Zelda had invited her to tea.

"Who are you and what do you want?" she said. To her own surprise, her voice was firm even though the fear she felt.

"My name is Impa, princess. I am here to tell you something of paramount importance." the woman said, gently.

Zelda felt this woman's strength. She couldn't say how, but it radiated off her. She also felt that no hostility was coming from her, but was not sure whether to trust this… sense.

"Speak then. I assume there is reason behind surprising me in my own quarters from behind?" she spoke regally.

"Yes."

The old woman didn't seem to offer more explanation pertaining to her rude entrance.

"Listen, Impa, whoever you are. You claim to have matters of 'paramount importance' to discuss, yet you give me every reason to immediately mistrust you totally. You enter my room uninvited like a rogue, you give flippant answers… it would seem you want your message to not be taken as seriously as you claim it should be."

The woman looked up at her, smiled a motherly smile and removed her hood.

Red eyes!

"You are…" Zelda was speechless.

"I am of the Shiekah." She said calmly.

"Assassin!" Zelda hissed. "Are you here to kill me?" she asked, disgusted.

"Nothing of the sort. I come with a warning." The woman seemed sad.

Zelda controlled her fearful outbreak. She still felt no murderous intent in her opposite. And her demeanour seemed genuine. She decided to listen, despite the absurdity of a Shiekah bringing words of warning. Or possibly just because of the scurrility.

"Speak."

"I am of the Shiekah. We are not mindless, directionless murderers. We have one goal. The defence against the Threat."

Zelda nearly huffed, but the mention of the Threat, which she had just today told Saria about, piqued her interest.

"The reason my people's motives are misunderstood is that no one remembers but us. Learned one's were assassinated, texts were burned, history was erased over hundreds of years by Its followers. Only we have some knowledge left and only we can read the signs of the nearing Threat. What you have experienced on the north road, princess, is a sign of It awakening. All of Hyrule, all of the world is in peril and…" the woman paused and looked at her compassionately. "…you most of all, child."

Her words scared Zelda to her bone. She had no doubt that this woman spoke true. She could not really say how… She just knew.

"Because of my… what I…" Zelda stuttered and swallowed.

"Yes, child. You are the light that leads through the darkness. You can be. The question is: will you be strong enough?"

She seemed to wait for an answer. Zelda was speechless. This woman just told her that she should be the one to lead her people through the shadows. She had not forgotten the unspeakable horrors that night. Those were only a sign to come? And she was what? A saviour? What can you possibly answer to that?

"How could I know? How could I possibly know?" she asked.

"Who will know but you? Tell me, what are you willing to give for your people, hmm? What sacrifice would you make for their life?"

Zelda knew this was a test, but the answer came naturally and without hesitation. "Myself. Everything. I am this land, and this land is I." Zelda was a little surprised at her immediate reaction. She had basically just confirmed that she was willing to die for everybody's sake. And she found that she meant every word.

She glared at the old woman as if daring her to question her resolve.

The crone's smile became even sadder.

"Spoken like a true princess." she spoke with an emotional voice.

Zelda was startled to see this woman, this Shiekah, slowly stand, then go to her knees and bow her head until it touched the ground.

"Princess Zelda, I vow my life to you. I swear to protect you from the shadows that would invade your world. I promise by my eyes of blood that my only goal will be that you may fulfil your destiny."

Zelda felt incredibly inadequate, nude with but a towel covering her, her hairbrush still in her hand, to listen to such a pledge of one's life.

The Shiekah raised up her head and looked at her with tears in her eyes. "My princess. My queen. That I may finally lay eyes upon you…"

Zelda didn't know what to feel or think. This whole situation was too outlandish. "I do not think it would be wise for you to be my bodyguard…" she said lamely.

The woman just cackled. "No. My presence would raise undue questions. I will continue to watch from the shadows. I do not want your happiness to be disturbed for as long as possible, child. But know that the day when you must become the princess is approaching."

"Can we not prevent this? Thwart this evil's plans before they come to fruition?" Zelda asked desperately.

"We… can not. It is as unavoidable as the night. I am sorry."

"And I can do nothing?" Zelda asked quietly.

"You can do what matters most. Fight for our continued existence."

The old woman stood up, smiled her sad smile and walked towards the window.

"I must leave you. There is still a lot to be done. So much knowledge has been lost, even to us. We must be sure that our way is right."

She hopped onto the windowsill and was about to jump when Zelda called her one last time. "Impa! … will I be alone? Will I have to fight all by myself?"

The Shiekah turned her head and smiled reassuringly. "Far from it, my child."

An with that she was gone.


	14. Calm between Storms

Chapter 13:

Link

Wow, did that really just happen? Had he seriously just met princess 'Sally' and had shared a good laugh as if they were old friends?

At first he hadn't been sure whether she was angry or not, so observing her (rather blatantly he admitted in retrospect) had devolved into a nerve wracking guessing game. Had that been a tiny nervous shuffle? Was that a twitch of a smile?

Finally, after what had felt like a century, she had reached him. And by the goddesses, she is beautiful. She had already been a stunner all wrapped up in maid's clothing but now, with her golden hair flowing freely around her angelic face… Link had been so captivated that he hadn't noticed a slightly… predatory smile creep onto his features. He just hoped that she couldn't magically hear his heartbeat, which had apparently tried for a new speed record.

But he wouldn't have been himself if he hadn't tried to squeeze every possible bit of playful teasing into his first 'your majesty'.

And from there it had just worked again. She had immediately put her foot in her mouth by saying his name, which he knew she wouldn't have done if she a) hadn't been nervous and b) was still angry.

While a little awkward at first they had just communicated again, like back in Ord. It had been a fantastic feeling.

And then there had been that little intermezzo from Ric and the real Sally. Link had already accepted his future life in prison when his idiotic big friend had pulled that line about being Lord such and such. But in the end it had lead to the princess and him giggling like little children. And watching this girl having a genuine laugh was glorious. It had just blown him away; he still couldn't quite feel his legs.

Link shook his muddled head. He felt like a lovestruck idiot, which, he slowly had to admit, he probably was.

With immense painful effort he wrenched his attention back to the two contestants fighting for the princess' pleasure.

One was Halvor the Emetic, the other Link didn't know. He could see that the foul noble had the upper hand from the start. He was still very good, but his movements seemed much more traceable and manageable than they had eight weeks ago.

The fight was over relatively quickly with a 3 to 1 for Halvor, who seemed unhappy that he had been hit at all.

Sir Alistair wanted to show the princess another bout, but she declined. The two noble girls excused themselves. Link couldn't hear what they said, but not a minute later they were already on their way out of the compound. He had hoped for another glance from her, a tiny smile, perhaps, but nothing had come.

The dreadfully uncomfortable thought imposed on Link's mind that perhaps she did not feel anything close to what he did. Perhaps to her, he was really just a pleasurable distraction. She was royalty, anyway. What could she possibly want with a yokel like him?

Link shook his head to try and forcefully eject that nasty line of thinking. No, there had been something. He was certain.

A he looked after her long, gently wafting golden hair, another even more shocking thought occurred. If he didn't win this tournament that would have been the last time he had seen her up close, the last time he could have talked to her. His stomach seemed to make a painful knot. "Easy, then! You just have to win!" the optimist in him supplied. True enough, but could he?

The more and more he pondered, the more the memory of her giggle fit filled him with fiery determination!

He could and he would!

For this smile, he realized, he could go through hell with a grin on his face.

"So, please explain this to me! You meet the princess of Hyrule and you start to _flirt_? Not even I would be this foolish!" Ricco exclaimed, somewhere between admiration and disbelief.

"And how did she know your name and, and… just _what_?!"

It was the first time he had ever seen his big friend so flustered. Link enjoyed the sight greatly. "What do you mean? As I said, I was the last on the list!" Link lied overtly.

"Horseshit! I want answers, loverboy, and quickly!" Ricco spluttered.

Thank god they were in the privacy of their room, or this conversation might lead to bloodcurdling problems.

"You better tell me what you were thinking with that ridiculously stupid name you uttered in front of them! Hamwell Cockelstrong, what the hell?" Link had to giggle like a child at the sheer juvenile absurdity.

"I thought you had lost your mind, flirting like that. I wanted to divert attention away from you, so you wouldn't be clamped in irons. Did you notice the look this Sir Alistair shot you?" Ricco fibbed.

"Now it's my turn for 'horseshit'. He was already gone when you said it. You were being sweet with the princess' friend, in your own deranged way. You are no better than me!" Link laughed.

"Of course I'm not! Who do you take me for? And when I and that magnificent girl were done quipping, you and the princess had a giggle fit. You were looking at each other like old friends! How in Din's hellfire did you… no. No, really? In Ord?" Realization dawned on the big guy's disbelieving face. "You met her in Ord? When and how!" he pointed at Link dramatically, as if playing inquisition.

Link wasn't completely comfortable with divulging that little secret, but he guessed the cat was out of the bag now, anyway. "Remember that maid I was with? That was her. I suspected, but wasn't sure until the day they left." Link explained briefly.

Ricco had to sit down, he was so flustered. "By the goddess. A princess that sneaks away in false clothes and meets a boy. It's like a cheap fairytale." He shook his head. "Brother, from what I've seen today… I have no idea how you'd do it, I am not nearly smart enough. But do _not_ let this chance go to waste. And I don't mean for something cheap like riches or titles. Brother, do not let this pass you by, or I'll swear I'm going to smash you to a bloody pulp, because your life would be worthless anyway."

Ricco whispered as if stunned.

Link knew his friend had a point, but had no idea how he would pursue this endeavour. There was just so much separating them.

In the end Link smiled slyly. "You just say that because you want to see that friend of hers again, admit it."

Ricco's face erupted in a wild grin. "Without a doubt!"

So far, Link had been slacking about getting to know his fellow contestants. He had seen the Zora and one of the Rito of his group have a brief bout. Link had been surprised to see Zora at all in this competition. Their natural habitat did not lend itself well for slashing weapons like swords. They were natural spear users, as thrusting was almost as easy in water as it was in air.

But this young Zora had apparently dedicated his life to the sword… Link wondered what his peers thought of that…

Unsurprisingly though, the lad employed mostly thrusts and stabs in his fighting style. And he was dangerously accurate with them. The Rito had his hands full trying to deflect his opponent's sword tip, which seemed to come from three directions at once…

The Rito on the other hand used a very lithe, acrobatic way of fighting. He dodged and weaved around in creative manoeuvres. Whether it was his tactic to tire his opponent, it wasn't quite working. The Zora was too tenacious and accurate and broke through the feathered one's defence.

A few of the faces, mostly noble ones, seemed to lack determination. They were lounging around in groups, jesting or jeering at other fighters, not training themselves. Some of them seemed downright bored, as if their presence here was just expected of them and they had no real interest in all of this. Link felt himself reminded of his initial behaviour. Looking at those boys he felt a pang of shame at how much of a buffoon he must have looked…

More than once a group of young noble bastards tried to put him down because of his low birth or his village origin. Link just grinned stupidly at them. The less they thought of him, the better the surprise would be when he thoroughly trounced them. In the junior group were 6 girls: one Rito, 2 Hylian and 3 Gerudo. Link only watched the Gerudo from the distance. They seemed to take this waaaay too seriously and he thought they might actually try to break his bones, just to eliminate him altogether. They only sparred with each other and no one had the guts to challenge them. From what Link could see they preferred heavy slashes, which they employed with a lot of twirling and jumping. It seemed to him that their style would be better suited to curved single-edged blades. Nevertheless, they were impressively fast.

He was actually challenged by one of the Hylian girls, a black haired, strong young woman by the name of Ranya. Link had accepted, naturally. She was fast and agile, but a tad predictable. Once her initial attack had been deflected she subconsciously fell into the same routine. Link recognized the problem. It was the very same dilemma that had taken him weeks of constant punishment to finally exterminate. He had beaten her, but had allowed her to hit him once so she wouldn't be disheartened. He had made the mistake of trying to explain her mistake to her, in a friendly way or course. She had only huffed and stomped away.

The one who interested him most out of all his rivals was Gors of house Gorridan. Sir Russel had warned him about the skill of that particular young noble. He was taller and broader than Link and had an air of tense purposefulness about him. The boy seemed to keep to himself, mostly, similarly to himself. Link didn't quite know what to think of him and that's probably what he wanted. He had observed how one of the other nobles had tried to engage Gors in a conversation, but he had declined, politely, but firmly.

Even greater was his surprise when the young noble suddenly approached him while he was watching two of the others fight.

"What do you think?" the lad asked with a surprisingly high voice, nodding towards the two.

Link considered for a few seconds, watching the bladework of the lowborn farm boy and his highborn opponent.

"Both improvable." He finally said. He pointed at the villager. "He is determined but his technique is wooden. The other one's had much more training but he just doesn't care."

He had kept his assessment deliberately vague so he wouldn't give away too much of what he saw.

Gors nodded earnestly. "Agreed."

They watched in silence for a minute.

"Done." He said without warning. Link had seen it too. The noble fighter's footwork had been lax and his rival had finally noticed. He fainted a high jab, then went low and swept his forward leg. The destabilized lad could only watch in surprise as the far lower-class boy finished the job with two quick hits.

Link gave his peer an approving grin and a raised fist as a sign of respect. The lad's concentrated face broke into a pleased but sheepish grin, while his beaten opponent fumed and muttered something incoherent about "should be forbidden".

Gors nodded silently, then said "See you at the finals." in that odd, high voice of his.

Link had no doubt that he would.

. . . . . . .

Zelda

Zelda felt as if she had just awoken from a trance.

Had all that really just happened? Had a woman of the Shiekah, one of the most notorious groups of assassins, just warned her of a threatening apocalypse and sworn fealty to her?

She looked out of her window as if expecting the woman to magically jump back up. Threat, It, peril, darkness, light… all those words rampaged through her head, making her dizzy. She sat down on her bed and took a deep, calming breath.

If all this had happened a few weeks ago, before all that madness, she would now sound the alarm and be forever happy that the madwoman that had somehow entered her chambers had been crazy enough _not_ to kill her.

The problem was, too much of what the Shiekah had insinuated made too much sense. Zelda had picked up on an implied following that had systematically erased all records of a period of history. That was an explanation for why so little was known from before two millennia ago, albeit a farfetched one. The old woman had spoken of darkness and a Threat. Zelda had experienced both on the north road. She had called her 'the light that leads through the darkness'. Well that was comforting, she thought sarcastically. But had she not defeated said darkness with a light that defied explanation? A power that, as far as she could tell, nobody had ever heard of?

And just as she had almost lost hope of ever finding something informative about any of these occurrences, Impa had shown up. She had not divulged a huge amount of information, but it had been clear that she knew something, which was more than Zelda could say about herself.

She questioned why she believed the woman. You can find equally far-fetched stories if you listened to mad old doomsayers on street corners. But Zelda had always been able to accurately tell truth from lie. Lately though it was even more: She often… felt lies. Something within made her skin crawl in warning when falsehoods were spoken to her. Zelda suspected it was a talent akin to the visions she experienced but thankfully it was less intrusive.

She had not felt any deceit during the Shiekah's visit. But did she trust her own senses?

For now she would have to, she decided. It was too risky to disregard a warning that, despite its utter lunacy, made so much sense.

But what should she _do_? Just sit and wait patiently for some enormous cataclysm to happen? How would that help? And when the catastrophe had come, what was her mission? The woman had guaranteed her that she wouldn't be alone but right now she felt quite forsaken.

All these thoughts whipped through her mind, making her feel hopeless. She should have asked more questions, pressed the Shiekah for more answers but she had been so frightened that she hadn't been able to think straight… and she hated herself for it. Scared and helpless like a little child, she thought. And you will be 'the light that leads through the darkness'?

Zelda massaged her throbbing temples. She wasn't being fair to herself. Her determination had apparently impressed the old woman. She couldn't just wallow in self pity now. If the Shiekah hadn't provided information, she would have to redouble her efforts to find them herself. It was also doubtful that this had been their last meeting. Next time, when she more presentable and her only weapon at hand wasn't her hairbrush, she would insist on being told all the woman knew.

Goddess, what a mess!

…what had she said? 'She did not want her happiness to be disturbed'? Good job so far, Zelda thought dryly. Her tense face grew a tiny smile however. Perhaps, with doom looming in the distance, she could forgive herself for being a little less… regal. Perhaps she would find an excuse to keep Link in the city a bit longer after he'd won. Her smile grew a little wider and she blushed a deep crimson.

She didn't even have a shadow of a doubt that he'd win…


	15. The Grand Day

Chapter 14

Link

Today was the day! Weeks of gruelling, painful work… all so he could make a fool of himself before hordes of noble idiots in the ring.

Link had hardly slept, he felt jittery and his stomach was doing very uncomfortable things. Experiencing all this, he asked himself more than once why by Din's hellfire he had agreed to this nonsense.

Thankfully, behind all the superficial complaining and moaning, he had a very compelling reason to continue. He still meant to show her that he was not like a spoiled noble brat. His determination, however, had gotten distinctively sweeter.

They were all being driven in two large open carts towards the arena, so the people along the street could applaud, cheer and throw flowers at them. Occasionally something else was thrown by rather overzealous young ladies, but Link was too preoccupied to pay it any mind.

At least the others look as queasy as I feel, he thought. Gors looked as impassive as always, but even he betrayed nervousness by occasionally cracking his finger joints. The other nobles covered their trembling hands by waving them around in grand gestures and blowing kisses to the girls. He had to think what Ricco would do in his shoes… either join them in wooing lasses, or place a quick, _completely_ accidental shove that would send one of them tumbling over so he kissed the flagstones. There was comfort in that imagined scene.

Link stepped out into the blazing sunshine from the arena's gloomy underworks. Immediately he was hit with a wall of sound, coming from 50.000 cheering people. He couldn't suppress a wide grin and actually waved at the crowd in general. Right afterward he felt like a bit of a dimwit. Nobody was cheering for _him_. Nobody knew who he was… yet! A bit of the people's feverish excitement rubbed off though and he breathed a little more freely. He tried to find the king's gallery, which was not that easy between glaring light and dizzying masses of spectators.

When he finally found the stands for the nobility, he couldn't really discern anything. Ah well…

The 32 contestants were to stand in a line on the wooden platform jutting out of the sand. They remained in the sweltering heat for at least three minutes. The constant cheering seemed almost about to abate when suddenly, it erupted anew. Princess Zelda's golden head had just arrived on the dais and the crowd loved her. Although, Link reflected, fired-up as they were, they would love just about anyone right now. Still, he was in no position to judge them as he felt a pleasant warmth running down his back.

Link had, as nonchalantly as possible, asked what awaited the winner of their respective groups. Sir Russel had explained that back in his day he had received the honour of being asked to join the late king on the dais for a personal meeting. Naturally it hadn't been a very personable affair, but the king had commended him publicly, which had most certainly quickened his ascension to knighthood.

Apparently today only the princess was in attendance. Would she reward the winner similarly?

Link wasn't sure if knighthood was what he wanted. Then again, what better prospect could he hope for? And knights, during their training, were stationed in Hyrule city…

The princess, after her meet and greet in the royal terrace stepped towards the railing and looked down on all of them. Link could see her more clearly now, even though her hair seemed aglow with sunlight. As usual, she was in white, a slim silver bracelet around each arm and a fine silver circlet crowning her head. Goddess, she was a sight!

At the lifting of her hand the arena slowly silenced until there was little more than a tense murmur in the air.

"Combatants!" roared a huge male voice from beside her. It was the same herald Link had seen in Ord. He certainly had a powerful organ… no doubt even the furthest row still felt their ears ring.

"Her royal highness, princess Zelda, will preside over today's tournament, the 215th annual tourney of swordmastery, here in the city of Hyrule. The princess will honour you by drawing your lots, according which the battle order will be determined. As per tradition, the junior tourney will be held first. Her majesty asks each and everyone of you to be mindful of your status as paragon. Skill, honour and valour shall triumph in this square, as it has for generations! She trusts that you will hold yourself to chivalry as much as she does. May the three goddesses be witness to this display of strength, wisdom and courage that we hold in their honour."

Link was not quite convinced that everyone had the same standard of chivalry, but that wouldn't stop him. If all was over, no matter the outcome, he had sworn that he would leave having made the people of Ord proud. And he knew that that did not necessarily mean winning.

Win he would for himself.

On the stands Zelda was reaching into a ornate wooden box, held by a priestess of Nayru. She pulled out a little bronze card with one of their names on it. She handed it to the herald.

"The first name to be drawn is Qareena of Saqqara!" he bellowed. One of the Gerudo, naturally. Link was pleased that the knight had no patience with 'keeping suspense' with long pauses but just said the names outright.

The second name was drawn.

"She will fight Gors of house Gorridan!"

A lot of cheering happened once more. The crowd obviously had a favourite. He could see neither of the named two and didn't want to break ranks. He assumed he knew their expressions anyway. Burning determination met cold calm. Link was definitely looking forward to this duel.

Two out, fourteen to go.

Next the noble hylian girl would fight the Rito girl.

Then, two nobles Link couldn't care less about.

The fourth battle would be between Gerra, the lowborn girl he had fought, and Vodiss, the Zora. Link pitied her. She had no chance.

"Mika Mikasson!" the herald roared. He was the other boy of low birth. Link thought that he would have profited from waiting a year or two and entering the standard bracket.

"His opponent: Link Andrésson!"

Link groaned, disappointed. He would be the one to knock his peer out of the tournament, in the first round no less! He felt truly sorry for the lad. This was rotten luck.

After that, Link stopped listening closely. One of the Gerudo would fight the Rito boy, but that was as interesting as it got.

When they were all accounted for, they stepped back out of the square and towards a pavilion which provided shade and iced water. In the pavilion the advocates waited already. Sir Russel greeted him with a hearty pat on the back. "Watch closely, Link. Let's see if that Gerudo can't coax a few secrets out of our friend Gors."

The two first contestants were already called back into the square. By now, a priestess of each of the three goddesses was seated around the square in a triangle formation. They were the judges, Link knew. They looked seriously out of place in their long flowing robes of crimson, sky-blue and emerald green.

In the centre of the square stood Sir Alistair, his face as sour as always. Link felt relieved. He trusted that old Lynel to be unbendingly fair.

He saw the blademaster rasp something to the two competitors, which they acknowledged with a nod. It probably had been a promise of a nasty death if they didn't behave… at least between the lines.

They shook hands, retreated to their respective corners and assumed a fighting stance. Sir Alistair looked at them briefly, brought his hands together and growled:

"BEGIN!"

Qareena immediately jumped forward and rained heavy vertical and horizontal blows on her opponent. Gors, at first, seemed taken aback by the aggressive, bordering on careless offence. He was driven back two steps, then found his balance. Qareena, her onslaught a failure, tried to quickly retreat but it was too late. Gors exploited her wide attacks and found an opening. He jabbed her in the ribs and all three judges raised their hands, signalling they had seen a clean hit.

The crowd rose in a thundering cheer.

Zero to one!

Link knew immediately that the Gerudo had no chance unless Gors had a sudden stroke. The difference in skill was apparent. What made Link uncomfortable was that one of his perceived advantages had just vanished. He had hoped the taller, heavier lad would be outclassed when it came to speed. Now he was not at all sure… he was fast!

The duellists had reset their positions and the battle began anew. Qareena had suddenly become a lot more careful. She was circling him like a predator her pray. Only that in this case the pray was far more deadly than expected.

Once again she pounced, adopting a tactic of faster, smaller movements, as her violent swings hadn't been able to break his defence. Gors deflected one, two, three quick blows, then parried the fourth so her blade was slapped aside and he had free reign. His second jab hit her on the same spot before she could jump away. Two attacks, two hits. Link could see her wince but she was too proud to openly rub the spot that had been abused twice. His face was still a mask of apathy… or concentration, Link couldn't tell.

The third bout didn't go much better for her. She made the mistake of trying to perform hard acrobatic attacks, hoping to surprise her opponent. He deflected them patiently, one after the other. When Qareena was showing signs of slowing her barrage of strenuous slashes, he went in close and jabbed her in the back mid-twirl. Then she did something stupid. Instead of aborting her attack, she followed through, finishing her wide swing. Gors blocked, barely, surprise on his face. It wasn't graceful, he took the full brunt of her slash on his sword and it nearly broke his grip.

From the stands came a roar of outrage. Link wasn't sure if he had seen her foul coming, were he in the bigger lad's position, but from here he had, even though it had been unexpected. Maybe he was still in the game…

Sir Alistair immediately stepped between them, grating something at the girl, who now seemed to realize her foolishness. Gors actually seemed to try to placate the blademaster, Link wasn't sure over the cries of indignation from the people.

In the end, as it had been over anyway, the Gerudo didn't even get a reprimand and Gors was pronounced the winner.

Link joined in a subdued applause from the fighters' pavilion. He looked up at the princess. She too was clapping mildly and smiling. He felt a tiny sting of disappointment, for which he chided himself almost immediately. Idiot, what did you expect, that she'd only clap for you?

He decided it would be best not to look at the royal terrace again, keep any female distraction out of his mind. That might actually be the hardest part of today's exercises, he thought dryly.

The next three fights were a bit of a blur. He watched them, he learned from them what he could, but they weren't as interesting as the first battle, even if the people made frequent 'ooh's and 'aah's. While the fight between the Gerudo and the big lad had been one-sided, he had still seen an important glimpse in the young noble's style. Stable stance with little movement, heavy reliance on deflecting over evading and a definite preference on defensive tactics. Link would either have to weasel his way through his defence, or attempt a parry and riposte strategy as well. Both tactics he was pretty good at. On the other hand, Gors had shown an iron patience while defending masterfully. Link would have to be extra careful not to get impatient and hot-headed or he would make mistakes. A tactic he wasn't quite as good at…

Link was so lost in thought, that he nearly missed it when his name was called. Sir Russel had to poke him in the ribs to get him moving. Suddenly his nerves were back. This was it! His first battle in the tourney. He swallowed. Everything seemed wrong, somehow. Were those really his feet that dragged him over the sand? They felt so impossibly clumsy!

Dear goddess, what would he do if he dropped his blade? He would die of shame, certainly! What if he just suddenly couldn't react properly any more and this other boy, Mika just trounced him? Farore's mercy, what had he been thinking when he agreed to this?!

He and Mika walked purposefully onto the square. Link barely heard what Sir Alistair rasped to them. He just clung to his sword as if he held on to dear life. Mika extended his hand and Link, after a moment of surprise grabbed his forearm. The crowd gave a pleased murmur.

"Don't hold back. Fight me seriously, that is all I ask." Mika whispered, his gaze intense. Something in the boy's serious, almost pleading words broke through Link's veil of near-panic. This guy knew that he'd lose. He fought anyway. That took bravery. And here he was, worrying that he might slightly embarrass himself. Link set his jaw and tried to fight his nerves.

They got into position. Link made a couple of experimental swings. Everything seemed in order, so he calmed a little further.

He looked into his adversary's frightened, yet determined eyes. Sir Alistair gave the word and everything fell back into place. The crowd was nothing, the heat was nothing, the other fighters were nothing. The only thing real was his opponent.

The boy stepped closer and made a nervous first attack towards Link's head. He stepped away, calmly. There was no rush! Everything moved as if through honey. Link measuredly deflected the next sluggish incoming blow to the side, changed direction and drew his steel carefully across his opponent's chest.

Time seemed to breathe once more, but Link held on to this concentrated state. He could see Mika hold his chest and twist his face. He worried for a moment. He had barely even caressed the boy with his blade… that it would have such an impact? He would have to be most careful. The last thing he wanted was to injure anyone. On top of that, needlessly brutal hits could be classified as foul…

Thankfully Mika seemed to recover. He breathed a couple of times then nodded to the referee. Link lowered his sword and walked up to his rival with outstretched hand. Sir Alistair was about to go between, but then understood the harmless gesture. Mika took Link's hand once more and accepted the apology for an attack that had been out of control. It still counted though.

Link's apology had put a dent in his concentration, but it still held. Once the two were back into position he was once again one with his sword. The marked dilation of time from before however was missing.

This time Link went into the offensive, dealt a couple of high jabs without neglecting his defence. He dodged a high swing and brought his blade calmly but firmly against Mika's neck. All three judges raised their hand.

The third bout started with the lad trying to go low. Link jumped over the attempted sweep and brought his sword down, a little slower than he could have. Mika caught it and deflected it just in time. He attempted a high counter attack which Link sidestepped. Now he was back on offence, driving his opponent back with quick jabs, high and low, until one, inevitably, got through: A clean hit on Mika's shoulder.

Zero to three and Link had won. The crowd cheered loudly.

He felt exhilarated, but couldn't fully enjoy his victory over his peer. Still, the farm boy once again offered his hand, which Link took. "Thank you. And now you better win, damn you!" he grinned. Link grinned back and nodded.

He couldn't resist and took a long look at the princess. She was still applauding and he could have sworn her soft smile got a tiny bit wider when their eyes met.

"They like you, boy." Sir Russel grunted.

"Huh?" was Link's highly intelligent reply.

"The crowd, boy. They got a liking for you. That was a fine gesture you made to that boy. That first hit was so bloody fast, I could hardly see it!" he grumbled.

"I didn't do it for the crowd! I thought I hurt him!" Link said indignantly.

"I know, lad, I know. And so do they and they love you for it. Didn't hurt that you got a perfect score, either." The old knight chuckled.

"You gave them a bit of a show with the last bout. Don't try that with the others, they'll punish you for it."

"I know. I just didn't want Mika to feel quite so bad." Link mumbled.

The old bear sighed. "Goddess Nayru, if only you could send this boy as much wisdom as Farore sends compassion."

Link knew that to be a compliment from his master and accepted it gladly.

The next fight, Kushira of the Gerudo against Kalido of the Rito ended in favour of the feathered warrior. So, Link would fight him in the next round. He had watched both carefully during their fight. He was a thinker. He liked to strategize and come up with a plan. And more often than not his plans had worked against her.

The third Gerudo won her first battle and after her some noble Link cared nothing about.

The quarterfinals started with a fight between Gors and the Rito girl. Her fluttering was as useless as attacking a brick wall with a feather. The young noble kept the same tactics in this fight as well. Link was certain that he held back quite a bit…

The Zora annihilated his Hylian opponent. The highborn had no chance against the quick stabs and thrusts. Link hoped that the scaly contestant could bring Gors out of his shell a little bit in the semi-finals.

Then, his second fight had already come. Link was nervous, but nowhere near as bad as before. He now had the confidence that both his body's reflexes and his mind's concentration were a formidable opponent.

He noticed that when he stepped onto the square, the crowd started to cheer a bit louder. Seemed that his teacher had been right. But this was not why he was here.

As usual Sir Alistair spoke a few words. To Link he wheezed that he didn't want to see a heavy hit like that again, to which Link nodded solemnly.

Then he meant to once again greet his opponent. He had taken note of the Rito's greeting. He bent his right arm in front of his stomach and bowed while always looking into his opposite's eyes. Kalido seemed bemused at first, then blew air out of his beak and turned around rudely. The crowd accompanied this with a hushed "ooohoohoo…"

Link walked to his spot, unimpressed. He would not let such a cheap slight ruin his calm. They both assumed fighting stances and the battle started. Link immediately darted forward and made the Rito recoil. He planned not to let the feathered one think in peace for a second. He feigned a low slash, then ripped his blade upwards. Kalido narrowly blocked the hit, but took its full force. Link, without letting his motion be stopped, let his sword hand relax, leaving his steel to find its way around the Rito's resistance and stepped forward under his wing, drawing his steel cleanly across feathery ribs. The winged boy looked at Link completely flabbergasted. Link gave him a deliberately blank look. He noticed that only two of the judges had raised their hands. Had the third one just taken a nap, he thought with a raised eyebrow. Sir Alistair however had seen the manoeuvre clearly and decided to cast his vote in his favour, which was met with jubilations from the people.

Link continued his tactics for the second bout, this time not feinting but with an actual low sweep that the Rito jumped so hastily that he had little control over his sword. So the young Ordian could neatly continue his attack and sent his opponent tumbling to the ground, which meant another point.

For the third part of their battle, Link changed tactics completely. He just stood there, watching. The feathered warrior, now completely thrown off, attacked without having thought of an intricate plan. Link defended two quick jabs, which were followed up by an elegant high slash. Graceful it might have been, but also slow. He sidestepped Kalido's attack and unleashed a barrage of quick thrusts on his unprotected side. The Rito managed to deflect two but had no time to think of a counterattack before the third connected against his thorax.

Once again, a perfect score.

But before Link was pronounced the winner by Sir Alistair he once again bowed in the way of the Rito. The proud young warrior huffed and for a second it looked as if he would turn away once again. But then he, grudgingly, bowed as well. And the crowd exulted.

The semi-finals… Only two more fights and he had won! Link couldn't stop grinning at the prospect.

"Keep that idiot grin for when you've actually won, boy." His mentor growled.

Good old Sir Russel, he knew how to keep a man's spirits high!

His next opponent would unsurprisingly be the third Gerudo. She was a whole lot more careful than her peer had been. But once again, she relied mostly on wide, arching slashes and that could be exploited.

Right now Link was more interested in Gors' fight against the Zora, Vodiss. He fell back into full concentration so no little step, no tiny movement would go past him. As he had hoped, the Zora's impressive offensive capabilities were enough to distress the noble's defence. For the first time, Gors had to move to keep his deflections from hitting him. Link saw that he wasn't the fastest when it came to dodging. Still, it was enough. Vodiss was able to land a beautiful hit, true, but ultimately the hylian's defence combined with perfect ripostes was enough. Gors was the first finalist.

That left only the matter between him and Mantiqa, the last of the three Gerudo.

He was sure that he was better, but something was worrying him. He sensed a certain deviousness in that one.

The Gerudo fighters greeted others with a simple bow, so Link did the same. She bowed low, lower than would have been necessary, and then she winked at him. Link raised an eyebrow but didn't think any further of it. At least until she blew him a tiny kiss when they were in their corners…

Link was somewhere between amused and irritated. Was that girl being serious? Did she actually think her feminine charms would have an impact? He only stared at her, his expression deliberately icy.

As soon as the battle started she did an almost dance-like motion, waving from left to right, twisting her hips around and letting her sword do complicated movements in the air. Link had never seen her do that in any other battle. Was she out of her mind? All of a sudden, she attacked with a wide slash from the lower right. He only barely escaped unscathed using a risky deflect and countering immediately so she would give him some space. Once they had separated again, the girl promptly started her weird dance again.

Realization dawned on Link: This was an outlandish sort of battle stance. She moved her hips independently from her shoulders, which moved independently from her arms. From the quick glances he allowed himself he could find no logically conjoined motion. That had to take an immense amount of practice. And the benefit was clear: a completely unpredictable attacking position.

Link was intrigued. This was something completely new. For a fraction of a second he was shudderingly thankful that Sir Russel hadn't tried to replicate this complex motion, but then his concentration took over again. Let's see how it fared as defensive stance.

He darted forward and jabbed at her waving shoulder. She immediately attacked as well, quick as a snake, hitting his groin. Only a hip twist, born purely from self-preservation, prevented an injury in a very personal region.

Link had no doubt that that was precisely where that minx had aimed. But the lost point had been worth it. He now knew exactly what she was about. That stance could only attack. Any defence was completely neglected. You had to attack quicker than your enemy, so only you would get the point. This seemed to be purely for duelling, at least the way she demonstrated it.

The second bout started just the same. She assumed her dance. Link smiled a little grim smile. The part that _just_ hadn't been hit was rather angry. Let's give her a taste of real speed.

He stepped close, almost nonchalantly, and whacked at her dancing sword, just above her grip. It flew away in a high arc and stuck in the sand a few metres off. Then he gently tapped her on her shocked little head and returned to his corner. The crowd erupted in a slightly confused but delighted wave.

Mantiqa looked at her hands, then at her sword. Not only had she not expected him to target her blade instead of her, but with a speed that simply was beyond hers? Her sword had been a perfect target and for her unpredictable wriggle to work, it was logical that she must lack stability, both in standing and in gripping.

The rest of the fight was just show. It was already decided after Link's hit, as the Gerudo had seemingly lost most of her fighting spirit.

Link was in the finals! He was having a hard time maintaining his focus as that dumb grin tried to creep back on his face. But he wanted to remain in that perfect equilibrium where all emotion was subdued and only rationality and movement counted.

He was granted a ten minute break, even though he had hardly exerted himself during the last battle. He had a distinct feeling that that would change. Gors relied on being defensive, even passive at times. He expended as little energy as possible except for his high-speed precision strikes.

Link had opted for another strategy. He had shown his co-finalist a different strategy in every match, but never with all his might.

Sir Russel had one final thing to say to him: "Watch out for one thing. He has never been aggressive. He is one and a half times your weight. If he chooses to go on the offensive, you better be ready."

Link had understood and the old knight was right. Nothing would be more surprising than to see this passive boy suddenly attack like a berserker. If he could use this astonishment, the young noble had an almost guaranteed point.

The time had finally come. He and Gors stood in the square, face to face. Sir Alistair rasped his customary warnings, but neither of them was listening. They clasped hands and nodded at each other silently. This was a battle of wits just as much as brawn. And they were the best and they knew it. The only thing to do now, really, was to see who was just that tiny bit superior.

The battle started and immediately nothing happened. Gors took his usual passive stance and Link remained at his corner, thinking. It had just occurred to him that he was missing one crucial detail. Something that none of the bigger lad's opponents had done… but what was it?

Link slowly crept closer, like a tiger sneaking up on a larger prey. He offered a few half-hearted jabs which Gors parried easily. A few more, stabs, a little faster! Gors swatted them out of the air.

This wasn't going to work. What was that niggling thought in the back of his head? What had nobody tried yet?

Gors surprised him by stepping forward and performing a trio of jabs. Link reacted purely out of instinct in stepping back and deflecting them.

Damn, that boy was quick for his size! Nobody would see that coming.

Link decided to try his luck in all out fencing. He attempted to break his rival's guard by swatting it away and stab immediately afterward. He hit Gors' blade but he brought it back quickly, stepped to the side and slashed at Link's face. He had to abort the stab to deflect. Din's fire, there was a lot of impact behind the big guy's hits. He quickly turned his body to the side so he could let most of the momentum just pass him by and jab high himself. Gors ducked and attempted to change the direction of his sword to hit Link's hip. Link had seen this coming though and brought his own blade back to block his entire side. He stepped under the bigger boy's arm yanked his blade upwards and it connected with his armpit. Hit!

Link finally exhaled. All that had been what? Two seconds? And it nearly hadn't worked! He had been forced to use all the speed of his arms to keep up with him. Thankfully his legs had made the difference. They had by accident found what Link's brain could not: distance! None of the others had dared stepped close. Gors had the biggest range, so they all had skirted just outside, performing occasional forays into his threatened space, but never trying to go actually close in fear of being shredded. Link had to force the big guy to move! He could dance around him, but only up close. The problem was, Gors knew that! And now he wouldn't let him anywhere near him.

The second bout started similarly to the first. A brief period of mental probing, then a few timid attacks. Link decided to make another attempt. So far it had always worked, right?

He let his blade touch his rival's and made them scrape against each other as he quickly stepped closer. Gors stepped back and with a roar used his superior strength to simply push Link to the side. He nearly lifted him off the ground! Gors used his momentum to push him even further, forcing him into overbalance towards his back. The big fighter used that exact moment to simply yank his sword downwards, taking Link's blade with him and raking the smaller lad from clavicle to short ribs.

One to one.

Just as Sir Russel had warned, he had used his weight and Link still hadn't been able to stop it. Damn it all!

The third bout played quite differently. Gors stepped forward immediately and started attacking with quick, safe jabs and spiced them with occasional mighty swings that seemed to take Link by surprise every time. He was forced to assume a purely defensive tactic under the dreadfully fast attacks. Link realized he was making a mistake. He should step into his range, not away where he couldn't do anything but defend. But he had no opening, no way of turning the tides. Eventually Gors broke through. Link caught a bad angle and one of the heavy swings flung his guard away so he was wide open. The bigger guy only had to lightly tap him in the chest.

Two to one! One more hit and he would be out!

A very primal part of him was just about ready to panic but Link wouldn't let it. This was a game of wits. He had had that moment of pure concentration when fighting Mika, but that had happened only once. He couldn't rely on that. He would have to stop merely reacting and see the battle before him. Like he had done with that bastard Halvor!

The fourth round Gors was once again passive, but Link hardly dared coming closer. When he finally did, the big guy once again unleashed a flurry of jabs. High, middle, low, from all directions. Link was keeping up, barely, but, just like before, his defence could fail any second.

He hated doing what he was about to do but if all else fails, go risky!

He neglected his defence and jabbed while sidestepping. Gors counterattack came so close to his face he thought he might have touched his eyebrow! But it did give him a moment to jump into range. The bigger boy again relied on his strength to drive him away and stepped forward, trying to catch his sword. This time though, Link let himself drop and rolled to the right side and around him. When he was back right side up he slashed at his opponent's knee pit.

Two to two. That had been an extremely dumb move, which was probably why it had worked. It wouldn't a second time.

The fifth bout looked like it would start like the third. Gors was on the offence and it didn't seem like anything could stop him.

Then Link had an epiphany. He couldn't stop him. He was too big, too strong, too heavy. But he didn't have to stop him. Why should he labour to block and parry when he was small and lithe and there was so much space around _that wasn't him_! Don't try to deflect to change the direction of incoming blows, like a rock. Gors was twice the rock he was! Instead keep light contact but be like water! Don't stop him but flow out of the way and around him.

He let his blade connect with Gors' and kept it there, just to feel the movement. He could feel every movement long before it reached him. He stepped to this side and that, never remaining where he was for long and always maintaining contact. Gors' jabs and heavy hits connected with nothing as Link felt the attacks coming much better than when he had only relied on his eyes. He redirected Gors' sword just enough that he had enough time to flow away or he sometimes simply let it carry him until its momentum was spent. And the big guy never dared pull his sword away too brazenly because it would leave him open to Link's omnipresent blade.

Weave offence into defence, just as Sir Russel had always said. He would have had many openings by now, but he wanted to experience this new fighting style. It was almost as if he had gained another sense. Gors, unable to cope, tried to lunge forward, right at him. Link merely flowed away, followed his adversary's arm with his blade and came to rest at his throat.

A few seconds passed.

Then the crowd exploded.

Link made sure that the hit had actually counted for the judges, then removed his blade and stood in front of his biggest rival, feeling rather numb.

"You beat me! Fair and square!" he said in his high pitched voice, an approving smile forming on his face. Link felt a similar grin break out over his face as the realization dawned on him that he'd actually won. Sir Alistair presented him with a grim smile, grabbed his arm and yanked it upwards.

Link looked at Gors, his face now flowing with tears and Link felt his own forming in his eyes until he couldn't see any more.

He looked around at the people of Hyrule city, having stood up and waving their arms in one huge exulted frenzy.

He looked at Sir Russel who nodded with a proud smile of his own while applauding.

Finally, he looked at princess Zelda. She too had risen and was clapping vigorously. He could see her perfect white teeth accentuate her broad grin. Link felt like he might burst. He wiped away the wet from his eyes, walked over to his rival and offered his hand. Gors took it without hesitation.

After a couple of minute of standing in the middle of the square, basking in the crowds cheers, the herald arrived at the square, congratulated Link on his victory and told him that his presence has been requested.

Link was sweaty and teary eyed and he didn't care a bit. He just had to make sure that he didn't do anything titanically stupid while riding on this wave of ecstasy. Like kissing the princess in front of everybody…

He followed Sir Craster towards the foot of the royal balcony and entered through a door guarded by four royal guardsmen. He ascended the stairs and found himself in a lavishly decorated balcony, full with little tables brimming with foodstuffs and drinks. While Link was hungry enough to devour a bear, he currently had no time for eating. There she stood, beautiful as the first sunray on a clear morning. How her porcelain skin moved when she smiled, how the wind played with her golden hair, how she moved with a grace that seemed unreal…

Perfection. This was, truly, the perfect moment.

Led by the herald he moved to the front of the dais. Another wave of jubilation greeted him and he had to smile like an idiot. Zelda hid a tiny giggle with her hand in front of her mouth.

Then she looked at him squarely and her crystal clear voice resounded in her ears.

"Link Andrésson, winner of the junior tourney of swordmastery."

The crowd had gone quiet once more.

"I wish to express my gratitude for such a wonderful display of skill and chivalry. As per custom, a member of the royal family may directly appoint someone of worthy skill and character as candidate for knighthood. After your display today, I can think of no one who would be more fit for the noble life of a knight of Hyrule.

So I ask you, Link Andrésson, would you accept this honour and duty to king, country and me?"

Link could hardly believe his ears. Princess Zelda had just given him the opportunity, the privilege, to be tested as knight! _She_ wanted _him_ to stay!

He opened his mouth to say 'Yes, with all my heart.' when he was interrupted by a bloodcurdling scream, which was suddenly stopped just as quickly as it had come.

Both he and Zelda stared at the crowd with wide eyes.

Then the screaming started


	16. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Link

Link saw the screaming crowd flee away from a spot on the stands. He heard Zelda gasp beside him.

In the middle of the chaos stood a creature, three metres tall, wild red eyes, a long pig's snout and a massive club in its claws.

Link's eyes widened in sheer disbelief. A Moblin!

He saw it was surrounded by people's bodies. Some where desperately trying to crawl away. Others were still.

A second nest of panicked cries erupted on the stands to their right. People trampling over each other to get away from a second snarling nightmare that swung its weapon at everything it could see.

And a third.

And a fourth.

 _Where did they come from?!_

"Guards to the ranks! Kill these monsters! Protect your people!" Sir Craster roared with furious rage.

"Royal guard, stay with the princess!"

Many citizens had, in their panic, jumped from the stands to the arena. Link saw that at least two of the beasts were following suit. It would be a massacre!

He jumped onto the stone banister and was just about ready to jump the five metres down when he looked back once more.

The princess stood still, immeasurable shock and pain in her eyes. Around her formed a cluster of five guardsmen. Sir Craster had already left to join the fighting force. He couldn't just remain here!

Zelda looked at him beseechingly, softly shaking her head. He hated to leave her with every fibre of his being. But she was safe while others weren't.

Together with those downstairs she had nine royal guardsmen. They would take her away. She was safe!

He jumped down and rolled on the soft sand to break his fall. He sprinted towards the pavilion, constantly followed by cries of terror and their immensely more disturbing sudden stops. In the pavilion was his sword, brought by Sir Russel for the festivities afterwards, so he would look a fighting man.

"Link!" Sir Russel ran out of the structure, sword drawn and Link's in his left. He chucked it to his nearing student, who caught it and drew it immediately.

"Don't go risking too much, boy! Choose your fights only if you've already won!" He yelled after him, then ran towards a different fight.

Link dashed towards one of the creatures that had just dropped into the arena sand. People were still trying to get up, dazed by the long drop. Link could see the giant monster bring its club down on helpless, fleeing men and women.

A fury like never felt before burned in his insides when he finally reached the thing. It immediately recognized the greater threat and came at him with heavy steps, tongue lolling out of its maw. It readied its huge log of a club to swing a wide arc but Link was too furious to be afraid. He dashed into the creature's range, ducked low to avoid its blow that would probably have killed him on the spot and slashed madly at its hands, legs, chest, everything he could reach.

The Moblin roared in pain and rage but to Link's dismay he couldn't do enough damage. The leathery skin and bulging muscles only allowed shallow cuts that would not fell this beast.

Too late Link reacted to the creatures violent kick that drove the air out of his lungs and sent him flying. The world grew numb and muffled for a second while Link hit the sand, his body strengthless while he desperately tried to remember how to breathe. He saw the Moblin approach and lift his club to finish him.

He rolled away at the last moment, the heavy weapon hitting the ground mere centimetres beside him spraying him with sand.

Slowly colour returned to his vision and the ringing in his ears made way for the normal sound of battle. His lungs filled with sweet, greatly needed air, finally and he finished his roll by quickly standing up.

The monster's club may be slow and heavy, but its kicks were of a ferocious quickness.

With still burning lungs Link dashed forward. The beast tried to counter with another kick but this time Link was ready. He twisted out of the way and hacked violently at the lifted foot from behind. He could almost feel the thing's large Achilles tendon rip in two at his cut.

The creature roared in pain and floundered when it tried to catch its weight with the destabilized foot. Link had to dive out of the way to not be buried beneath its bulk when it dropped to its knee. Crippled or not, the monster violently swung its club at him, now that he was back in range. Link had to jump over the massive log! He back flipped and only narrowly avoided being splattered. He landed on his feet and rushed back in. The Moblin was still busy handling his last swing's momentum while on his knees.

The fight was over. With the creature's head now in reach and no threat of a kick, Link jumped past and used all his impetus to slash at its throat. It tried to drop the club and swat at him with its claws but he had been to fast. Blood welled up from the deep cut and the monster gave a gurgling roar and attempted to lunge at Link one last time, but he had already moved out of range. It heavily fell into the sand, trying still to claw its way forward towards him but with every bubbly breath its endeavours weakened. To Link's battle focused mind it seemed to take hours until the creature finally lay still. Only now did he notice the people lying around him and the beast. Men and women with punched in skulls and smashed ribcages lying in the sand, unmoving, their last moments of terror clearly visible on their faces.

Link felt cold bile rise to his mouth but the still going battle sounds made him force it back down. He looked around. The other Moblins that had dropped into the arena were all engaged, so were most of the ones on the stands by now.

Then he saw something that made his blood freeze in his veins. A humanoid figure, covered in light clothes had just entered the door to the royal terrace. The door guarded by four royal guardsmen, who now lay still before it.

As if in a shocked trance, Link started to run. He had just barely seen the person vanish into the door.

No.

They had dispatched the guards while everyone was busy with the Moblins…

No!

They were here to kill her!

 _No_!

Link sprinted over the entire arena a second time, this time with infinitely more cold fear pulsating within him.

A couple of guards passed him! He just yelled "Princess!" at them but didn't slow a bit.

He reached the door, paying no heed to the four downed royal guards and stormed in. His eyes needed a moment to adjust to the sudden gloom under the terrace but he could already hear fighting noises up ahead.

He darted forward. He felt one of these adversaries in his way, more than he saw him. He snarled something in a hylian voice and Link's hairs stood on end. He felt something thrown and suddenly a dark purple cloud erupted in front of him.

From within came a maddened roar and out jumped another Moblin, swinging his club madly.

Link heard a shrill cry from somewhere ahead and he felt his rage burn painfully inside. With a furious roar he dived at the mindless creature. It tried to fell him with its club but it might just as well have tried to swipe at dust. Link weaved around the massive weapon which to his eyes was nearly frozen in time. With one anger filled vertical swing he cut through the monster's wrists. It shrieked in pain and surprise but Link wasn't done. Without stopping his motion he brought his blade back up, switched to a two handed grip, rammed its tip inside its stomach and ripped it violently across until it broke through the thing's side.

Without breaking stride he continued forward. The attack still stood there, rooted to the spot. Now Link could see him clearly, even though only three seconds had passed at most. He wore a sandy coloured set of clothes with a white mask covering all of his face. The mask had a red triangle painted on it.

"You!" he snarled in hylian.

Link couldn't care less what he had to say. He advanced rapidly while his opponent drew a short sword. It was almost ridiculously easy for Link to sidestep the first attack and stick his sword into the man's neck up to the hilt.

He didn't waste a second to yank it back out and continue, his righteous rage propelling him forward.

Below the stairs he found an open doorway, from where the sounds of battle still came loudly. He dashed inside with no hesitation.

He came around a bend in the corridor and saw carnage.

Five more of the attackers had already incapacitated four of the remaining guards. He last injured man stood protectively in front of Zelda, who had a sword drawn and looked deathly scared but determined.

Link sprinted forward. Two of the assailants turned immediately and brandished their short swords at him. Link jabbed the first one's weapon aside and smashed his right hand through the mask and whipped his head back. The second one tried to swing at him but Link caught his hand with his razor sharp blade and disarmed him. The assassin tried to draw a dagger with his left but stopped when Link drove his blade through his chest.

Right at that moment a third attacker stabbed at his back and ripped through the flesh over his right shoulder. He didn't even feel any pain. Right now he was unstoppable.

Link whipped around and beheaded the man, just as the last guardsman fell to the floor.

Zelda stood, her sword ready and she stabbed at the attack just as he tried to finish the guard. He dodged, but too late. Her blade sliced through the side of his neck. He clutched at his bleeding wound and recoiled, right into Link's who stabbed him in the back.

The last assailant threw himself on the princess, hacking at her until he managed to catch her arm, twisted it behind her back and held his blade at her neck.

Link stopped cold. His rage made way to overpowering fear.

With the fear came the pain. The Moblin's kick had done more damage than he had noticed. Every breath sent a line of fire across his chest and the cut at his shoulder hurt like hell.

But nothing felt more painful than the dreadful certainty. He would lose! He would lose _her_!

His head started to feel faint. Everything turned around him.

He had to drop to one knee, panting heavily.

The assassin seemed unsure what to do. He looked at his fallen comrades, all cut down by Link.

If he killed her, he would die as surely if he disobeyed his master.

"Stay back! Or that pretty neck will spout blood like a fountain!"

Behind him, Link could hear people approaching. People in armour! He dared a quick look over his shoulder. Sir Craster had arrived together with Sir Alistair and a handful of men. They all stopped dead in their tracks when they saw the situation.

Link, between heavy gulps that tried to keep his stomach down, attempted to reason. "You are caught. If you harm her, your life will be forfeit before you can even take another breath." He attempted to stand back up, but his vision was swaying violently. Was he losing so much blood? He couldn't care, not now. He had to save her. He was only three steps away, a painfully long distance, but still much closer than the two knights. If anyone could reach him in time it was Link.

He battled with the sheer panic that tried to come over him. He couldn't reach her! Not even he was fast enough.

" _Stay where you are_!" the assassin yelled shrilly and pressed his knife firmer against her neck.

A tiny trickle of blood ran down Zelda's throat.

The world turned cold.

All colour drained away from Link's vision apart from that crimson drop and Zelda's sky blue eyes. He could feel her heartbeat racing, while his own heart seemed to skip a beat, then turn ice cold. He no longer felt his bruised ribs, neither his injured back, nor the fatigue that had built up. He could hear his own blood rush in his ears and the tiny inaudible whimpers from Zelda's throat with each quick breath.

His breath turned calm like the eye of a massive storm.

Time had stopped.

He would reach him.

He would kill him.

He would save her.

It could not be otherwise.

He caught the princess' gaze. For an instant their minds connected and they thought as one. He saw understanding in her wonderful eyes.

He jumped forward. Death came for the assassin. It was as inevitable as destiny itself.

Link's jump propelled him the entire way. He could see the shock find its way to the assailant's eyes. He saw his muscles contract, one by one along his arm, but it would be too late. Link's fingers found their way between the blade and Zelda's delicate neck, his right hand closing around the knife. He let his momentum carry him past. Slowly, time stretched thin, the violent dagger was pulled away from her throat. Link turned midair and slammed his sword grip in his left against the man's now stretched elbow. He felt bones shatter and crumble below his fingers.

The masked face followed him, immeasurably slowly and looked uncomprehendingly at his arm, twisted at an impossible angle.

Link drew his sword back, just as this opponent started to gasp in surprise. He ended his life with a lightning fast stab through his mask.

It took incredibly long before the assassin's body became limp. When only Link's blade was holding him upright, time finally took another breath.

Link stood, swaying. Zelda whipped around and took a step back from her attacker. Link saw that the knights were starting to move in, still confused about what had just happened.

He lost his grip on his sword. His arms and legs felt frail and soft. He fell to his knees once more. His brain only now had time to catch up to what had happened in the last split second. The world regained its colour and sound returned. The overpowering smell of blood flooded Link's nostrils. He looked down on himself and saw that he was soaked with it. The floor around him was swimming in it, and there were corpses everywhere.

With dreadful certainty he realized that he had killed. He had ended the life of not only a couple monsters, but Hylians! Yesterday he was playing with swords and today he had viciously murdered at least five people! With sudden clarity he remembered the shocked, disbelieving eyes of the first assassin he had killed with his sword through his neck. The sheer terror in them! The way life had faded from them when he had drawn his blade back out!

The smell was too much!

His stomach turned and he vomited violently. Everything hurt.

His breath came laboriously and painfully. His right arm failed to hold him up and he nearly fell face first into his sick.

He could feel himself drift mercifully close to unconsciousness. Through blurry eyes he saw someone kneel down before him and steady him. It was her! He looked at her face, which he could hardly make out. She said something but he couldn't understand it. She looked worried.

"Why?" he thought dazedly. He had won. She needn't be worried anymore!

"You are safe." He breathed.

Even if he couldn't see her for all this blur, she was still beautiful. He dizzily touched her face lightly with his left and smiled.

"You are safe."

Then he remembered nothing more.


	17. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Zelda

Link collapsed in front of her.

She tried to hold him up so he wouldn't fall, but his blood soaked clothes made it difficult. Luckily Sir Alistair appeared by her side to catch him. He helped her to drag Link's limp body away from the carnage. He laid him on his side, tore the ripped cloth over his shoulder away and inspected his wound.

Zelda was spattered with blood, the hem of her dress was drenched with it and she had just mortally wounded a man. She cared little. But the sight of the deep gash on his body made her stomach roil and her head spin.

She drew the useless knife she had hidden below her skirt, cut away the frills of her dress, folded them and handed them to the knight. He looked at her for a moment, first surprised, then mild. He took the impromptu bandage and pressed it against Link's wound.

"He'll live. Blade scraped along his shoulder blade so it didn't do any severe damage. Two centimetres to the left though…" he left the sentence unfinished.

The cut on her neck stung all of a sudden. With a shocked glance she looked at Link's fingers. All of his fingertips had a deep cut where he drove them between the blade and her throat. If she had been slashed like this…

"You seem to be alright." He rasped.

She just nodded. Thanks to him, she thought.

Zelda lightly touched his forehead and stroked over his head. His hair was matted with sweat and gore.

She did not care one bit who watched.

"You are safe." Still rang in her ears.

She could still feel his fingers caressing her cheek.

The medics had come after a few minutes, along with a whole battalion of soldiers. They had scoured the entire arena complex for any more of the masked attackers but nothing was found.

One of her royal guards had survived. One out of nine! And Link had killed the one's responsible single-handedly!

They took the many injured to hospitals and clinics all across the city. Since Link was officially asked to become a knight (and probably because of his heroism that day) he was brought to the military hospital of the royal guard. Zelda wanted nothing more than to accompany his sleeping body, but she couldn't. Someone had to organize the triage of the wounded, make sure that they were distributed evenly among hospitals, oversee the crowd and help scattered families find back together, collect the dead and try to identify them and and and… the list seemed endless. A part of her wondered why she wasn't a nervous wreck right about now. This had been an attack, the second attack on her life! Countless people had perished, she had been held hostage and had nearly been killed too! The careless violence, the utter disregard for people's lives fuelled her anger and that kept her going. Her head was abuzz with hundreds of conflicting thoughts and emotions until it was all one numbing blur.

Right now, she had to function.

The knights, in particular Sir Alistair and Sir Craster oversaw the attempt to bring order back. She offered them to go to the people, attempt to bring families back together and console them. They were hesitant. Sending her into a milling, frightened crowd when the attackers could strike again was a security nightmare. But when she agreed to take an escort of ten knights and 50 soldiers they relented. She would need the men and women anyway if she was to bring any semblance of order to a mob.

The people were too preoccupied to even notice her at first. But slowly her calming words, her strong presence and her deliberated planning brought a little peace to the terrified people of Hyrule.

Zelda's heart broke every time a family could not be reunited, a parent still missed her child or a husband still searched for his loved one.

So many dead… so much sorrow.

At the end of this dreadfully long day she had the tearful thanks of hundreds of relieved couples and families, but also so many people left in agonizing uncertainty. The system of subdividing and searching was kept up late into the night. The king himself had joined the attempt to restore order. He had briefly visited her while she worked, had hugged her in his awkwardly distanced way. She could feel his relief that she was unscathed, but she was still cross with him. He had brought her a fresh, practical dress, for which she was immensely thankful. Even her father could have a decent thought once in a while, she admitted begrudgingly.

Currently she was in his carriage on the way back to the castle. She was deathly tired but the thought of sleeping after all this kept her fearfully awake.

In the end her father had wrenched her away from her sombre work. He had assured her that she had done enough for today and that it would be silly to have survived an assassination attempt only to kill oneself from overexertion.

Right now they were sitting opposite from each other, silence between them. Multiple times she had felt him wanting to say something, but so far he had always stopped himself.

The nightly streets of Hyrule city were empty. Nobody was on the streets; everyone was hiding at home, either hugging their loved ones or mourning their loss. A veil of fear had descended upon the city, Zelda thought. She looked at the dark streets and felt profound uneasiness, as if the darkness was looking back.

The scene flashed before her eyes again, almost as real as when it had actually happened. She felt the panic of her attacker. She saw Link falling on his knee, gasping and bleeding, she felt the nasty bite of the knife at her throat. Involuntarily she touched her neck with a trembling hand. The terror welled up once more at the flashback. She felt her breath stagnate as it had done back there, in fear that the tiniest motion would spell her doom. She thought back at the cut up fingertips of his and felt a jolt of shame. So close… so unbelievably close… So many dead, even more hurt and she was unscathed. And he had sacrificed his hand, protected her with his own flesh when he was already injured…

I feel so… dirty… so useless.

"Don't, Zelda." Her father said.

It took a moment to wrench herself out of her spiralling thoughts and even realize he had spoken. She looked at him, surprised.

"I know the thoughts that are plaguing you. I know them all too well. You cannot let them throw you into despair. You surviving while others lie dead… that is not your fault. Your fault it would be if you disregard their sacrifice by wallowing in self-pity. Honour them by continuing to live. That is why they gave their lives, after all."

She looked at him, wide eyed. Her father's words were harsh, but that's what she had come to expect. She knew they were meant as words of compassion and advice and that they were true. But what could she do? What could she possibly accomplish that would make good this mark, this debt that she carried?

"Then let me help you investigate this. Don't exclude me from finding the origin of these attacks. This is the second time I was targeted. And this time my death was prevented only due to L… the winner of the tourney. We must prevent a third attempt or more people will die!" she nearly shouted the last sentence. Her ire at being treated like a feckless child was rekindled.

Her father nodded. "Link Andrésson. Sir Alistair informed me. Apparently the lad showed exceptional skill and bravery. You offered him a place among the aspirants of knighthood?" he asked, his eyebrow slightly raised.

Zelda set her jaw. "I did. I trust you have no objections?" she asked, unable to keep a warning tone out of her voice.

"None. If you hadn't, after today, I would have done so myself." He looked at her, questioningly. Her sudden challenge hadn't gone unnoticed.

Zelda chided herself for not keeping her emotions better in check, but currently she was doing her utmost not to either scream hateful accusations at him or break down crying. "Since you seem to think that your daughter is unable to assist with anything that goes beyond frolicking, I thought you might want to invalidate my _childish_ decision." she said cynically.

He met her with his usual blank stare. "Was it a childish decision?" he asked simply.

But before Zelda could employ her glare of death at him he sighed and rubbed his eyes. "Listen. I think very highly of your abilities. You have proven your intelligence and diligence before you were the age of ten. But there are some things that you should not have to carry yet. Some knowledge that would still be too much."

For a moment, Zelda could see cracks in his façade of calm. Something scared him! She had never known her father to be scared of anything! Before her mind's eye she suddenly saw shadow, swirling darkness and a flaming presence within it. Flashing images of a domed stone hall, a pedestal, a…

The vision ended abruptly and her father straightened back up.

She swallowed. What she had seen terrified her. Still, she wanted, she needed to know. How much was he keeping from her?

"But this is about me, father. Both attacks were meant for me. Whatever it is you are trying to protect me from, it is breaking through!"

He seemed to think.

She could have told him about what she knew from the Shiekah's visit but it was doubtful whether that would accomplish anything. Most likely he would just up her nightly security. Nevertheless, she now knew that her father knew something about the darkness that Impa had mentioned. It had to be the same threat they were both fearing.

"Unfortunately, you are right. I will think on it. I cannot promise you that I will tell you everything I know, preciously little as it is. But I promise you will no longer be excluded from our deliberations completely."

Zelda nodded, slightly surprised. She had been certain that this attempt at reasoning would go just as well as the first.

"Thank you. That is all I ask for." She said, slightly peeved.

"I fear that it will be more than you asked for, my daughter. I will send for you when you've had time to recuperate. I do not wish to thrust this upon you now." He answered calmly.

They had reached the castle courtyard and the door was opened for them. Once outside he looked at her once more. "Go to sleep, Zelda. Rest your mind as best you can."

"I will. But first I will visit the knight's hospital." She divulged before she could stop herself. She bit her lip. She was so tired and her mouth spoke before her brain could stop it.

"Do you not think the boy needs rest, too? Sir Alistair told me he was injured?" He asked.

Damn him for knowing so much!

She blushed vividly.

And damn my stupid face too! At least it was dark…

"I couldn't even thank him…" she whispered.

Her father looked at her gently and, for Zelda's taste, a little too knowingly.

"He will still be here tomorrow, you know…"

Tomorrow everything could be different. Tomorrow she could be dead, if they attacked again!

The king made a slightly sceptical face when he saw her expression.

"Go then, child. But don't wake him if he is still asleep."

Zelda couldn't quite hide her relieved smile. She nodded and walked off immediately, as if worrying that he might change his mind.

Zelda timidly entered the hospital. It usually was little more than a first-aid station tasked with patching up guards injured during training. Today though there was animated business. While most soldiers and knights seemed to have been treated already, the doctors still had their hands full with civilians that had been redistributed from the public clinics.

She felt like a bashful child when she asked the concierge where the young winner of the tourney had been placed. She was referred to the nurse in charge who seemed most reluctant to admit her.

"The young man's wound has been stitched and he has drunk poppy milk for the pain. He needs his rest, your highness!" she spoke haughtily, barring the way like a troll on a bridge.

"I promise I will not disturb him. I simply want to make sure that he is well." She answered firmly. It was a weak, hardly sensible reason, she knew. The nurse subjected her to a strict, questioning stare.

In the end she convinced the old bat to let her through, even without resorting to royal privileges. She entered his room, a two bed sickroom, and was relieved to see that he was currently the only patient in it. Her heart pounded. This was almost more nerve-wracking than being attacked!

It was dark apart from a night light on his bedside table, illuminating him only dimly. To her immense gladness she saw that he was peacefully asleep. There was no sign of pain on his handsome face. Zelda released the breath she had been holding for some time. Nayru's love, she was trembling like a leaf in the wind.

She stepped closer, careful not to make a sound. When she was right at his side he stirred a bit but his face remained tranquil.

A wave of powerful gratitude washed over her. She couldn't deny that he had caught her eye very early. She even wanted to give him the chance to become a knight so he could stay. And now he had nearly sacrificed everything to save her!

She looked once again at his right hand. His fingers were bandaged and his hand was bound into a fist to apply pressure. So terribly close…

Who was he? Why would he risk so much for her? Not to mention that he had single-handedly dispatched the six assassins that had killed nine royal guards within seconds!

Who was this boy with the dark blond hair and cute face?

She wanted to brush a few strands of his hair away from his eyes. She had already raised her hand before she thought better of it. She might wake him.

He sighed softly and mumbled something in his sleep.

She felt herself grinning. Hopefully he was dreaming something pleasant and not reliving the horrors the day had brought.

Lying there in front of her, asleep, she wanted, she yearned to talk to him. She didn't quite know what about… anything, really! It didn't matter. But she wanted to hear him say why he had been so willing to help her.

And she hoped very much that he would say what she wanted to hear, even if she wouldn't quite admit it to herself yet.

Zelda vowed that she would return, no matter how nervous it made her. She had so much to thank him for…

"Thank you, Link." She said softly and she didn't care that she felt like an idiot, talking to a sleeping person.

Link sighed again and little smile crept on his lips. "You're safe." he mumbled.

Zelda felt as if her heart would melt right then and there. She had to fight her tears and the urge to laugh at the same time. Well, at least she now knew what he was dreaming about… or who…

She had to go or she couldn't resist waking him. And she had already disturbed him enough… She redoubled her promise to return tomorrow when he was awake. She poured him a cup of water from the jug by his bed, in case he woke up thirsty.

Then she, reluctantly, left.

When she crossed the training square and breathed in the night air she knew everything would get even more complicated the way she was going. This whole thing was nerve-wracking, scary, intriguing… she had never felt this before.

Yes, it would be complicated. Did she care? Not really. Certainly not after today!

Zelda shook her head, feeling almost tipsy. Pondering about what might happen or not was pointless here. As her father had said, she would live and deal with problems as they came.

She once again touched her cheek where his fingers had caressed her. She felt infinitely tired… but also more alive than she ever had.

. . . . . . .

King Tiberian of Hyrule

The king was poring over his maps of the land, trying in vain to distract himself. After what had happened to Zelda he had remained sleepless for hours, pondering what to do. In the end he had given up, ordered a glass of brandy, something he hadn't done in years and had locked himself in his study, alone.

How could it have come to this? Why now? Why his precious daughter? And while she's still a child?

Pointless questions, he knew.

How long now until the calamity? A year? A month? This night? So little was known. The only knowledge that had survived was that the princess would have to fight it and that it was a never ending cycle of hate, cruelty and death.

The thought of his little girl, this beautiful angel facing this unknown, unspeakable evil… filled him with impotent rage and despair.

He felt like an old man, powerless to help his only child.

The king rested his face in his palms. Weeping overcame him and he gritted his teeth. What should he do? What _could_ he do?

He was just a father, trying to protect his daughter… and for all his royal power, he couldn't even do that. Like he couldn't protect her mother…

"Do not despair, king. It is not yet the time for it."

He jolted upright and looked around, tears blurring his eyes. But he already knew who it was.

"Impa! You dare show your face to me? I should have you in chains and let you rot in the dungeons for all eternity!" he growled.

"No doubt you should. But it is not the time for that either. I come with counsel." She uttered calmly.

"Counsel. You always presume to come with counsel. Where were you today, wretch? Where were you when my daughter nearly lost her life?" he yelled, as he could no longer control his voice. He walked up to her so his rage-filled face was only centimetres apart from hers.

"I was… away. I returned as soon as I heard. I still need to collect information." She answered.

"Information!" he roared. "What good is your information? We know nothing. You allude and hint to some greater knowledge you possess, but it is all smoke and shadow like your whole existence!"

"True, our knowledge is limited. But not so much that we can not make our own designs. I have found the way to the sword!"

The king looked at the intruder as if she had lost her mind.

"We know where the sword is. What are you…"

"I mean…" she interrupted, "…I believe I know how it may be used, how it may be drawn."

He glared at her, trying his utmost to control his rage. Finally he sat back down heavily.

"Tell me!"

"It is not only the princess against the Threat. She is not alone! There is a third part to the equation: a warrior, a protector wielding the sacred blade. A man to shield the princess from harm. Only he can draw the sword."

"Where is this man then? Where can he be found?" the king asked impatiently.

"After today, I believe he has already been found." Impa said cryptically.

He frowned. Then he opened his eyes wide. "The boy?! The lad who saved Zelda? But he is also just a child?"

"Indeed. Same age I believe." she agreed.

'And it had been her who found him, it would seem', the king mused. And he had been told that without that boy, she would have been lost. Coincidence?

"So this is it, yes? You believe the wielder of the sword has been found. And now? We send two children to their demise instead of one?" he growled.

"The sword must also be… sanctified by the princess. According to the ancient texts I have collected over decades, she needs the blessing of each goddess to do this." the Shiekah explained.

"How can she not have such a blessing? Is this Threat not the enemy of all the life on the world? How can she not have the divines' aid?" he asked loudly.

"I must admit I do not know. I was unsuccessful in obtaining this information." she had the decency to look ashamed.

"Marvellous!" the king said sarcastically. "Once again you fail to provide anything useful, assassin! That whole tribe of yours, sworn to keep the ancient knowledge, according to you, has failed! We fumble around in the dark and walk into our doom blindly!"

"What else do we have, king? Your daughter and her protector will need to find the answers. We help them as best we can but, ultimately, they are alone."


	18. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Link

He had woken up and _everything_ hurt. The back of his head smarted and his mouth was dry as bone. He tried to reach for the cup of water someone had blessedly poured him, but a searing pain in his shoulder made him jolt. He tried to turn so he could reach it with his left but agony in his chest made him stop. For just a moment he panicked when he couldn't move his hand, but the realized it had just been bound closed.

He lay back, already exhausted and tried to calm his pounding heart. He felt like a complete cripple, not even able to get a cup of water that was right there.

Alright… slowly then!

He sat back up, wincing. He very carefully touched each of his ribs, applying minimal pressure. Didn't seem too bad, no sudden sting or loose bone… bruised but not broken, he'd say.

Using his left to help shift his weight he slowly turned around until he sat crosswise, his legs dangling down. Now he could reach the cup with his left and finally wash the dust in his throat away.

Never had water tasted this delicious! He must have sat there for at least ten minutes, delicately sipping water. Slowly but surely his headache abated.

Link urgently wanted to know how bad the wound on his shoulder was. He, exceedingly gently, tried to move all the joints in his arm. It stung nastily but at least he could move everything normally, as far as he could tell.

He exhaled in relief. While sacrificing his arm for another's life was surely a noble thing, he thought that the age of 15 was a little young to permanently lose a limb.

His musings were abruptly interrupted when the door opened. A portly nurse walked in, then all hell broke loose.

"What in Nayru's name are you doing _out of bed_ , young man?" she blustered.

Before he could even answer that he was still very much in his bed she had already taken the cup away, gauged his temperature by touching his forehead and cheeks and checked on his bandaged hand and back.

"Really now! You boys think you're invincible, don't you? Romping about like this when you're hurt! How is it supposed to heal, then? Well?" the nurse-dragon nagged while bustling about, opening curtains, fluffing his pillow and damn near picking him up to force him to lie back down. Link was momentarily so flustered that he couldn't get a word out. He wanted to say that, no, he didn't feel invincible and he was certainly not 'romping'! What he did say was "Buaaah?"

Her demeanour changed so suddenly that Link almost got emotional whiplash.

"Poor dear! But you'll be alright! Young lads like you shake a scratch like this off like nothing, you'll see! Is the pain too much? Do you need something for it?" she asked motherly.

Link blurrily remembered the milky white substance they had forced on him yesterday. Not only had he felt like vomiting all over again, his head had also felt as if someone had replaced his brain with cotton. And he had still felt every stitch…

"No, thank you, ma'am." His voice sounded hoarse and dry. He suppressed a cough, fearing it would cause his ribcage to explode.

"It's alright. Only some more water, if you would be so kind." He said with a bit of charm. He most certainly didn't want to get on this woman's bad side.

"Well now! A gentleman as well as a hero! I'll bring you your breakfast, deary. Can't let you grow weak, now can we?" she said with an almost conspiratorial smile.

Link didn't quite know what to think of that but at the sound of breakfast his stomach took over the thinking anyway.

A few moments later the she-dragon returned with a sizeable tray filled with bread, butter, cheese and fruit. Link was very nearly slavering like a dog.

"The doctor will look at you after you've eaten. Be careful not to move that shoulder, though or I'll see to it that the next stitches are done without poppy milk!" she threatened. Link didn't doubt her for a second.

The physician had come about five hours ago. He had removed the bandage – about a gently as a Hinox – and had poked about. After a few mumbled 'aha's and 'mhm's he had informed him that it looked good so far and that it would probably heal cleanly. Then he had pulled away the glove like bandaging from his hands and that had hurt so much that Link had had to bite his tongue not to curse like a sailor. He had looked at his fingers. Those relatively tiny cuts acted like he had just dipped his hand into molten steel. The doctor had grumbled affirmatively and had dryly explained that, yes, it hurt most were one's sense of touch was strongest. Link had to resist the strong urge to stretch his fingers that had been constricted for almost a day. The nurse would probably bandage it twice as tight in response.

The physician's last question was how his thorax felt and whether he felt pain if he breathed. When he, being a good patient, negated the man quickly left to continue his round. All in all the examination had taken about five minutes, for which Link was rather thankful. The guy surely had a lot of patients after yesterday's catastrophe and if he spent so little with him, it must mean that he wasn't all that worried about his continued well-being.

The nurse, helped by a younger, more charming version, had proceeded to clean his wounds and re-bandaged them. He successfully averted another finger-prison by promising he would maintain a fist by himself. Asking the king for a duchy couldn't be more difficult than getting the nurse-dragon to relent a millimetre!

They also offered to help wash him. And by 'offered' they meant practically forcing themselves on him. Link had grudgingly accepted help with his back, but anything lower he firmly declared off limits. He almost regretted it later, as he found out that many parts are awful to reach with one hand and a half a dozen ribs that demand to be left in peace.

Now, five hours later he was lying in his bed, unable to do anything. With nothing to take his mind off it, he was forced to re-live the entire event over and over. His heart quickened when he remembered seeing the assassin sneak inside, his skin felt hot when he recalled the Moblin's blood washing over him, his stomach turned sour when he recollected the silent terror in the attacker's eyes when he stabbed him through the neck.

Link couldn't banish the images. If he closed his eyes they only got stronger! Every detail resurfaced so clearly it was sickening. How they looked, how they sounded when he… killed them. He had killed people… He had ended the lives of Hylians! True, they were assassins and had targeted Zelda… the thought rekindled his rage… but still, they weren't monsters. He recalled the panic he had seen in the last one's eyes. The will to live…

He especially remembered how he had felt. The feeling was etched into his soul. At first the fiery, barely controllable rage that had overpowered all thought, driven him to kill like a… monster. Then this… this… Link subconsciously balled his fists until his hands trembled and his wounds screamed. …this… bastard… had hurt her! His fury had instantly turned to a cold, emotionless plan to kill. It was as if another side of him had suddenly taken control, a being of pure rationality driven to a deadly, glacial point. He didn't know which side frightened him more.

… that wasn't true, Link realized. The cold killer inside scared him to death. This time he… it had saved the princess. But what if it happened again?

With dismay his overwrought mind showed him images of that thing wearing his skin beating a fellow contestant to death, in front of everybody.

Was that truly a side of him? Such callous, murderous intent?

Then again…

Once again his pulse started racing at the thought of Zelda being held hostage. She was too far away and he'd never reach her. But suddenly, with icy assurance, he had known. He had known that nothing could stop him. He had known that he would kill him. He had known that he would save her.

It had given him power! Link suddenly realized, his eyes growing wide, that what he had done, how he had done it, was impossible! No-one could jump three meters from genuflexion with such a speed that someone, _who had his knife on his victim's throat_ , couldn't react. He remembered every detail so terribly clearly… to him it had seemed as if time had stopped for everyone else. He had been able to sneak his fingers between the blade and her delicate neck so slowly and carefully as if he was trying to caress her. He had been able to snap his elbow as if he was trying to break a blade of grass. And she had not been harmed. And he had been in total control…

Link wasn't sure what to make of all this. His thoughts were torn. That emotionless bringer of death he had become frightened him, but it had definitely not been a directionless, psychotic killing spree. And it had allowed him to save that wonderful, innocent angel… so it couldn't be all bad, right?

Link sighed and shook his head, as if to batter these swirling, torturous thoughts out of his head. He had to do something before his idiot brain forced him to replay the whole scenario again. A little pain was preferable to going insane!

He stood up, slowly, and walked around a few steps. He felt a little woozy and wondered how much blood he had lost. He wondered how much he could lose…

Sadly, the small room's potential for distraction was exhausted very soon. He was just about to dare sticking his head out into the corridor when he heard a knock on the door. He knew it couldn't be one of the nurse-dragons. They wouldn't knock.

"Enter!" he called. Anyone was welcome right now, at least anyone who wasn't clad in white and tried to enforce a strict stay-in-bed-regime.

'Oh goddess, what if it was her?' he thought in sudden panic. He must look a right mess, pallid, sidling around the room like an ancient man. She couldn't seem him like this!

To his immeasurable relief Sir Russel stepped inside, followed closely by Sir Alistair. "Huh, you're up already. Don't rightly know why that surprised me." Sir Russel grumbled as a greeting. He was smiling widely, a sight rarely seen on his face. It was strangely catchy, Link thought. "Thank the goddess you're here. Lying here with nothing to do is driving me crazy!" he said. And to his other 'guest': "Greetings, Sir Alistair!"

"Would have come earlier, lad! Do you have any idea how hard it is to get past that she-devil of a nurse? They should send her to the border, the Moblins would run screaming!" Sir Russel mumbled. Link could see in his face that the old bear was immensely relieved to see him up and well. Not for the first time it jolted through his young brain how dangerously close he had come to a violent death. He too felt a surge of relief. Good thing Sir Alistair was here or he might have done something foolish like try to hug his old mentor out of sheer emotionality. That would have been epically awkward.

Speaking of whom, why was he here? He did not at all seem the type to express his thanks verbally. Link expected he was rather the type who would have slapped him on the back, saying something like: "Not dead yet, boy?"

Sir Russel seemed to have read his thoughts. "Anyway, boy, Sir Alistair here wanted to speak to you personally. Since you were anointed knight-aspirant and have already shown a little promise…" the old knight allowed himself a chuckle, "he wants to have a talk."

The blademaster nodded. "Aye. In privacy, if you don't mind, Sir." he rasped.

His mentor's proud smile vanished and left behind a bemused frown. "Why?"

"Your protégé may speak openly to you afterwards. But for now I will have privacy." It was not a threat. Just a statement…

Sir Russel was clearly not amused. He was about to say something but thought better of it, bowed and left. He shot Link a glancing smile, as if telling him not to worry.

…it didn't help.

The blademaster waited patiently until Sir Russel had closed the door behind him, then directed his eternally sour gaze at Link.

"You better sit down, lad. I want your full attention and you look like you might keel over any second." he wheezed.

Link did indeed still feel a bit wobbly, but hell would freeze over before he would take such an unmanly offer, no matter how well meant it was.

"I will be fine, thank you. I prefer to stand." he said levelly.

"Suit yourself. I'm old and I'll sit." and he grabbed the lone chair in the room and sat down, looking about as old and frail as a hunting tiger.

"I don't have much time to spare since I have to deal with yesterday's aftermath. From what I have seen so far you are graced with a working brain, so I'll be direct. What do you know about yesterday's attack?"

The aging man had asked the question completely neutrally, no sign of accusation or threat. Still, to Link it sounded as if he was implying that he knew something he wasn't letting on, or that he was a suspect even. He felt his temper rise.

"What makes you think I know more than you, sir?" A stupid answer, he realized immediately. It made him sound needlessly standoffish, as if he had something to hide.

"Calm yourself, Link Andrésson." His opposite rasped with the faintest hit of placation. "You are not suspected of anything. I can not quite see you being involved in the planning of an assassination attempt only to thwart it single-handedly. This is, however, what interests me. You dispatched six assassins that, frankly, cut through our defences like a hot knife through butter. A young lad, fifteen years, trained in duelling, not combat. You, sir, have every reason to be as dead as a hammer." he rattled matter-of-factly, pointing at Link.

"Yet all you have to show for yourself is a little scratch. But that in itself is not yet reason enough for me to be here. This could all still be amazing dumb luck."

Link resented that quite fiercely, but wanted to keep on listening for now.

"Then I came to the scene in the corridor. You, understandably spent and the princess as good as dead. I wouldn't have even dared fire an arrow at the assassin, fearing that the merest twitch of his hand would be the end for her. Do you know what happened next?" Sir Alistair asked. Link could feel they had arrived at the heart of the matter. He only hoped that the old man would believe him, if he said he had absolutely no bloody idea how he'd done any of it.

"Next I saved the princess." Link said guardedly.

The blademaster nodded slowly. "That's right. Care to describe how?"

Link sighed and now sat down on his bed. "Blademaster, I wish I could tell you. I wish I'd know myself. I know _what_ I did, precisely even, but not _how_. I felt cold, rational. I knew he had to die, so I… killed him. It was easy as if I'd done it a thousand times before…"

Sir Alistair looked him straight in the eyes and Link looked back. It was as if that man could see right through your skull.

"I believe you. Do you want to know how it looked from my end?" he asked.

Link thought about it briefly, then nodded.

"You were kneeling, panting. Then you suddenly stopped breathing. Next thing I see is you standing three metres away, having defused the situation in a very final way. I saw maybe a shimmer of your movement. I don't think I have to tell you it was quite…"

"Impossible." Link finished the sentence.

He nodded. "Aye." The knight was still staring at Link, unblinking, and he felt increasingly like a child out of his depth.

"What will happen next?" he asked, almost timidly.

"No reason for the long face, lad. Your actions saved the day and trust me that this is not something you'll hear me say often. The rumours of your deed are already spreading like wildfire. People will treat you like a hero, whether you like it or not." The way he said 'hero' sounded just a tad derogatory, as if that word just didn't exist in his vocabulary. Link indeed didn't know what to think of it. He had come to the city to win a tournament and… maybe win a girl's affection. Certainly not to be recognized on the streets for his proficiency at killing.

"I'm not at all sure whether I want that, actually."

"Good. I can't use a student whose is already so big it touches the clouds." he rasped and leaned back on his chair.

Link was so preoccupied with the uncomfortable thought of being called a hero that it took a while for his opposite's last words to sink in. He looked up, eyebrows raised.

"Student?" he asked, surprised.

"Took you long enough. Aye. I have reported to the king yesterday's events. We have come to the conclusion that you require exceptional tuition. The king has, unsurprisingly, taken a personal interest in you. He has asked me to continue your training and I have accepted. You will be discharged tomorrow, others need that bed more urgently than you. You will come to the knight's sparring room first thing after dinner."

All that information swam through Link's head, searching for a place to make sense. The king? Personal interest? Exceptional tuition? Tomorrow?! He remembered what Sir Russel had said about the blademaster's skill. This man would teach him personally? Link couldn't suppress an eager smile.

"Do I not get a say in the matter?" he asked in jest.

"Sure you do. You get to say 'yes'!" Sir Alistair answered with a lopsided smirk. However, all levity left his face when he grumbled: "Listen, lad. I would be remiss not to tell you that this is not happening so you can just be an ordinary knight of a retinue. I have been the king's military advisor for fifteen years and he seems to have plans for you. What plans, he hasn't deigned to divulge to me. Stay on your guard."

That didn't sound ominous at all, Link thought sarcastically. But he was sure the blademaster was right. There had been an attack that had nearly hit the very core of the country. And he, Link, had averted it. He swallowed nervously. What could the king have planned for him?

Sir Alistair had left quickly but Sir Russel had stayed a little longer. Link had told him what they had discussed. He had even hesitantly explained the impossible feat he had done. Sir Russel, ever the realist, had said that in times of enormous stress, people were capable of surprising things, tapping hidden strengths. Link had accepted that explanation, but knew that it barely scratched the surface.

His mentor seemed both incredibly proud and a little sad. He rumbled something about Link having outgrown his old teacher. He also said with a sardonic smile that he would now get to explore the slimy depths of court intrigue.

Shortly afterwards Ricco had miraculously appeared. The tree discussed at length the duels that had taken place the day before. Link was thankful for the distraction; he didn't want to think about himself or the blademasters words right now. Ricco was of course helpful as ever.

"Look at you, hero! So many chances to die and you idiot fail to take any of them. And then you act like an invalid because of a piddly scratch. Now I have to transport your worthless carcass back to Ord, instead of finally being rid of you!" he had chuckled and had slapped him so hard on the back that Link was sure that all the stitches had come loose.

He explained to his big friend again what had happened, but he seemed to know most of it anyway. He also told him he wouldn't come back to Ord so soon, as he was to begin his training as knight-aspirant.

Ric had shaken his head in mock disgust. "What is this world coming to when things like you can become knights. Bah!"

Then he had grinned conspiratorially. "Well, at least you will be a good deal closer to the young lady you're trying to woo."

Link shot him a warning glare. They couldn't speak openly with the old bear in the room.

The two stayed with him for another hour until they were forcefully ushered out by the nurse-dragon. Link was sad to see them go already, but at least his mood had improved considerably. He was alone again. He wanted to try and see that Ricco's manhandling hadn't caused his wound to bleed again, so he removed the nightshirt he was wearing. He lightly touched the bandage, trying to feel if it had bled through. He heard another knock. "Enter!" he said, lost in concentration.

Standing with his back to the door he asked: "Have you forgotten something, Ric?"

"Should you be up already?" A female voice. A very familiar, clear voice.

Link's heart skipped a beat. He stood in his underwear, bent like a fool trying to scratch his back in front of the princess! Oh goddess!

…then again…

He turned around, trying his very hardest not to look ashamed.

My goddess, there she really stood. She looked about as tired as he felt. Tired and absolutely lovely. She seemed to study him with a surprised and slightly worried expression.

He felt a smile tug at the corners of his mouth. "Should you be here?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

She too seemed to feel a grin playing around her lips. She crossed her arms. "I can certainly leave again. I only waited for the last half hour until your friends finally left."

"You did? Feeling sneaky again? Seems to be your favourite pastime." Link teased with a shrewd smile.

He could swear he saw her blush a tiny bit, which was enough to make his head feel light as a feather.

"Touché. Are you sure you should be out and about?" she asked once again.

Link didn't know what to say. His sarcastic answer got stuck in his throat when he saw how genuinely worried that wonderful girl was about him.

"Probably not, but its fine. According to nurse dragon I am probably to stay prone until I'm unable to move at all." he remarked.

She giggled slightly. "Yes, I think I have met the lady in question. Unfortunately your name for her fits rather well."

Zelda seemed to study him…rather… well… before she met his eyes again. This time she didn't blush lightly. She blushed furiously.

Link was suddenly very aware again that he was only slightly dressed.

"I err… I'm… sorry." Good goddess, he sounded like a twit.

He tried to hide his own flush by turning away to put on his nightshirt again. But no, wait! Then he would show her his injury, he didn't want that! Wait, that was stupid. She knew he was wounded, no need to play tough. Goodness, this girl was making him stupid!

"I… wanted to thank you, Link. For saving my life." he heard her say softly.

He paused, his back turned to her, shirt in his hand. He didn't want to say something profoundly idiotic like "No need!". There was need, it was clear in her voice. He could almost feel the guilt reverberating in her voice and it nearly broke his heart. He had to fight an urge to just hug her and tell her it was alright.

He turned half around so he could smile understandingly at her. "I would do it again without a doubt in my mind."

She looked up at his kind but serious expression. With a gut-wrenching jolt he saw that she was fighting her tears and her bottom lip quivered.

Oh goddess, no! What had he said?!

Quick! Distract her!

"Would you, err… help me with my shirt? It's difficult with my shoulder." He mumbled, turning back to face the wall.

Then he realized what he had just said and his eyes widened in shock. He had just asked the princess, his liege woman, a young girl, to dress him! Damnation, I'll spend the rest of my life in the dungeons, he thought panicky. He must come across like a complete pervert! Damn damn damn damn…!

He heard her sniffle quietly and to his even greater shock she stepped close. She took the shirt from his hands and proffered the right sleeve. Like in a daze he wriggled his handicapped arm through and she pulled it up to his shoulder. She moved around his back so he could now slip his left into the other sleeve.

"Sorry. I'm not very good at this, I'm afraid." She said, her voice cracking slightly.

Link's heart was cracking slightly too. His head was now so utterly confused he was barely able to button the shirt up.

"Thank you." he muttered, feeling like an idiot.

"Is it very painful?" she asked when he had turned back to her. She seemed to fear the answer. Link couldn't believe it. This wonderful angel truly, foolishly, felt guilty for this silly little scratch! Deeply so, even! What could he say? What could he say to lift that misplaced sense of guilt from her shoulders?

"Right now I hardly feel it at all." he assured her softly, earnestly. "And I don't say that to seem tough. Please believe me when I say that I do not blame you in any way. This is little more than a scratch and it was more than worth it to make sure that you remain unharmed."

She lowered her head and nodded. When she looked back up she had a sad little smile on her lips. "Nayru, I feel like an idiot. Here you are, injured, yet still it is you who has to console me. I'm sorry."

"Stop it with the 'sorry'. No more 'sorry's from you." Link scolded with a charming grin and his index finger raised.

"If I am to stay here to become a knight I do not want to hear you say sorry all the time."

She gave a tiny giggle and her face brightened considerably.

"You will stay, then? Even though…" she asked, letting her sentence remain unfinished.

"My princess has asked me to stay." Link answered half serious, half coquettish. "How could I ever decline?"


	19. Chapter 18

Brief announcement: I'm sorry, but I probably won't be able to keep uploading once a day. I will do my best to at the very least keep a steady schedule of once per two days. I hope you all enjoy!

Purely out of interest: Whose perspective do you like more, Link's or Zelda's?

Chapter 18

Zelda

Her head felt light. He was standing so close. She had to look up slightly to look into his kind, deep-blue eyes that were so full with humour.

So close… and he would stay…

She had been so afraid that he would leave. She hadn't dared to hope that he would ignore the terrifying madness that had occurred.

She hadn't slept. Whenever she finally drifted into an uneasy sleep, the nightmares would rip her back awake within minutes. Every time she would relive being held, being threatened by that assassin, the knife at her throat, the pain in her arm as he twisted it. Then she would jerk awake, more than once with a scream, touching her stinging neck in dazed panic.

She didn't even want to imagine how terrible it must be for him. He, a boy from a peaceful village, forced to fight. For her.

Getting injured. For her.

Driven to kill. For her.

The guilt had grown overnight like a tumour, driven by constant pondering and sleep deprivation. It felt as if it was strangling her insides. She hadn't eaten, the mere thought made her retch. Every time she remembered him dropping to his knees, covered in blood and gore, both his own and _her_ enemies'. And even in this moment of complete misery, the second before he lost consciousness, his thoughts were about her safety.

She didn't know how she could ever show her face to him.

Thank all the goddesses for Saria's insistence, for it was her who basically pushed her out the door. Her heart had hammered like mad before she entered his room. She had hesitated for minutes in front of his door out of fear what she might see. Him lying in bed, unable to move for all his pain or, infinitely worse, him with a broken expression, looking at her accusingly. Her stupid brain had cooked up all manners of horror. She had taken so long, doubting herself, that Sir Alistair and his mentor had appeared and she had been forced to hide so they wouldn't see her. Zelda had felt like such an utter moron. At least the anger had helped her to finally overcome her shame and knock.

And there he had stood, like a young god. Zelda couldn't deny that seeing his shirtless straight back had made her brain go into shutdown. Immediately she had said something monumentally stupid.

Her throat had gone dry in fearful anticipation. Here he was, hurt because of her and the first thing she did was scolding him that he was out of bed?! Stupid, so _stupid_! She wouldn't have been surprised if he had just glared at her… hatefully…

Instead he had immediately answered with this wonderful playfulness that had already captivated her back in Ord.

All her fears, all her doubts were suddenly of little importance. She felt she could simply be… her. Zelda the girl.

He had turned around and her mind went straight out of the window. She couldn't remember how long she stared at his well defined body. Again she couldn't deny that he awoke certain… appetites in her…

When Zelda finally realized that she had been blatantly inspecting him for… hours it seemed, she had blushed like never before in her life. Dear goddesses above, he must surely think her a pervert! Blessedly, he took her rude behaviour in stride and didn't even comment. She wished the ground would open up and swallow her whole! He had turned back, shyly, which made him even lovelier.

Then, finally, she had been able to say what burned in her heart. Those words of thanks that seemed so shallow, so unable to convey the full meaning, the full spectrum of emotion behind them.

And yet…

She could see he understood. She could see it in his eyes that were instantly filled with so much compassion, so much understanding. He looked her in the eyes when he gave his sincere answer that broke through all her defences. All these emotions, all these feelings of guilt that she had been determined to hide within so not to burden him further threatened to escape through the gap his caring words had opened.

'Oh goddess, don't cry now, not now!' she had begged herself.

And again he had to rescue her. He gave her an opportunity to help him, even if it was something so simple as putting on a shirt. She could give him something back, even if it was just a tiny speck of acquittance. It was so silly but it helped immensely.

She got so close to him…

Involuntarily she looked at the bandage. The cut, she remembered, had almost been as long as her hand.

The guilt flared up once more. She didn't want to draw his attention back to his injury, but she felt she must ask about his well-being.

Once again Zelda could sense that he saw right through her façade. He saw that twisted nest of writhing guilt that plagued her. At that moment she felt like she was standing naked in front of him, all her thoughts laid bare. She was defenceless. Years of training of being royalty, never showing what you truly thought, useless to his gentle eyes. She didn't dare hope that he would help her, see the need to absolve her.

"Please believe me when I say that I do not blame you in any way" he had said. It hadn't been truism, not from him, not in this moment. He had said it so sincerely, so kindly. He was laying his emotions bare as well, so she could see the honesty in his words. And she felt the guilt starting to wither, to die away by the force of his compassion. He had allowed her to heal, to shed these feelings of self-blame like excess skin. It would take time, she knew… but now it would heal without leaving a scar.

Zelda felt like such an egotist. She wanted to apologize for being such a weepy bint, forcing him to look out for her again, but he had disallowed her. That contagious friskiness was back in his deep-blue eyes, which told her that she should stop feeling sorry for herself.

And then he had said those all-important words: he would stay. Despite everything. Actually from what she got to know about him by now, she suspected that it was really _because_ of everything…

The immeasurable relief she felt also brightened her perception of him. He had opened up to her, if only a tiny bit. She could now clearly see that he, too, was putting on a brave face. Zelda could read him a lucidly as, apparently, he could read her. He was confused and afraid. He had taken hylian lives and it gnawed at his soul.

But he also feared… Zelda couldn't understand even though she wanted to. She desperately wanted to give something back, make him feel at peace like he made her feel. She could almost see the turmoil of doubt in him. For all his gifts, she couldn't forget that he was also just a young hylian, like her. The uncertainty, the misplaced guilt he felt himself… they tormented him like they did her.

It bit at her heart to know that he, so strong and confident for her, was troubled so much.

She didn't know what to do. Goddess, he was so close! She could feel the warmth from his body. She dearly wanted to embrace him, tell him it was going to be alright, but that just didn't feel appropriate. She couldn't tell how he'd react. She couldn't do the wrong thing, not now! She was terrified that she would ruin everything!

He might think she didn't take him seriously.

He might think she didn't understand.

She bit her lip. When she looked into his face, she forgot how to think! She looked at his lips with their kind, lopsided grin. She would only need to stand on her toes and move a tiny bit closer. She looked back into his eyes. Suddenly all her abilities to tell what he was thinking were gone, together with rational thought.

What should she do?! Zelda's breath came rapidly. She felt both hot and cold. Everything was so difficult all of a sudden. Everything was wrong! She no longer knew what to believe in; it was all so complicated!

She just wasn't sure! He was looking nervous, as if unsure what to do himself. His breath was as quick as hers, his hands, strong, chafed and rough, were in constant fidgeting motion.

Was he nervous because he was as unsure as she was? Or because she stood close and it made him uncomfortable?

He couldn't know what she was thinking, could he? Those blue eyes were so full of emotion it was impossible to single out one. She didn't want to shock him. He was hurt, he was uneasy and she couldn't add a layer of complexity on top of it all just because she wanted to advance…

With an enormous show of will she tore herself away, out of that bubble that been about to encompass them. She took a timid step back.

The world returned to normal, normal walls, normal window, normal bed… as if it had lost colour just now. The warmth of his body that she had been able to feel, that she wanted to believe was inviting her closer was gone and even this summer day suddenly felt chilly.

For an instant she was certain that she saw bitter disappointment in his face, but he controlled it too quickly. Had it been real or just a figment of her imagination?

That wonderful moment of closeness when everything had seemed so alive had passed. Her doubts had taken over and inhibited her. Damn her and her weakness! For a perceived eternity she didn't dare to look at him, instead she stood there, feeling like a fool, wringing her hands.

When Zelda finally dared to look at his face, she nearly didn't recognize him he had blushed so hard.

She looked down, ashamed. She was now sure he knew what she had been about to do. How could she be so stupid and think that he wouldn't understand instantly? She hadn't exactly been subtle, Zelda realized with another pang of shame. Dear goddess, what must he be thinking of her. And what would he do now?

"Well…" he began.

She looked back up. He was looking away, smiling abashedly, his face still flushed. Goddess damn it, she had been right all along, hadn't she?! And she had been to craven to act on it. And now the opportunity was gone! Right now, for the first time in a long while, she felt like cursing like a sailor… even though she doubted that she even could.

She hadn't dared move forward even though, she realized now, it would probably have been fine. But what if that moment was never to return? What if that was her one chance?

Her insides turned to solid ice at the thought.

Damn it all, what could she do to save it?!

"I, err…" she had meant to say I'm sorry, but remembered at the last moment that he had forbidden her from doing that.

"I think… err…" he tried, but didn't get any further.

They looked at each other again. Zelda's face felt like you could fry eggs on it and his didn't look any better. This was without a doubt the most stupid, most awkward situation she had ever been in. She couldn't help starting to giggle softly at the sheer absurdity of it all.

Immediately an uneasy little chuckle broke forth from him, as if it had been on the brink for some time and her tiny sound had released it.

Thank the goddesses and their mercy, for he was just as much of a dork as she was.

Her suppressed titter grew in strength at the relieving realization, so did his snicker. Soon they were united in side-splitting laughs, ridiculing themselves, each other, the stupidity of the world in general. Whenever the convulsions threatened to stop, one look at each other was enough to send them spluttering back into uncontrollable fits of giggling.

It was the most liberating laugh Zelda had ever had the joy of experiencing. All those gut-wrenching thoughts of doubt that had tumbled through her brain were just turned obsolete with each new jolt of insane cackling.

True, the moment had passed. So what?

This new, shared moment of levity was evidence enough that nothing was lost, nothing needed to be said, no pesky thinking was required.

And how sweet the moment was, laughing with the natural ease of a child. Together. Against the world and its monumental stupidity.

When finally the exhilarating insanity stopped and they both were gasping for breath, all the built up tension had gone. They shared another minute of comfortable silence. Zelda couldn't say which she enjoyed more, the laughter or the content quiet after. For the first time in weeks, months even, she felt just tranquil.

He broke the silence first. "I do accept, by the way." he said.

She looked at him for the first time since their uncontrollable giggles. He was leaning against his bed, holding his ribs. With a pang of sympathy she realized how painful those minutes of paroxysmal laughter must have been for him. His face was calm though, with the delightful humour back in his eyes.

What he meant, however, she couldn't quite decipher. "What do you mean?" she asked.

"I never got to formally accept your offer to become an aspiring knight." he explained.

"I was doubtful at first… but you know what? After that little episode right now, I think I might want to accept." he confirmed in mock thoughtfulness. "You are clearly insane, so you could need someone of similar state of mind in your retinue." He finished with an impish grin.

Zelda's heart beat faster and a wide smile forced itself on her features. To her utmost joy she noticed the effect it had on Link. His mischievous face suddenly became considerably more bashful and his cheeks turned red.

Time for her to be a rascal!

"Well, I believe you are correct. Only an insane person would consider offering a giggling loon like you such a serious position. What could I have been thinking?" she sighed with a histrionic shake of her head.

"Possibly you were so utterly over the moon with my supreme skills in the ring?" he asked, innocence radiating from him.

"Or maybe it was your clumsiness that amused me. The way that Gorridan boy knocked you on your buttocks…" Zelda snapped her fingers as if having bright idea. "I might reconsider and hire you as jester!" she exclaimed.

"Do as you wish, your highness. I am simply proud you worried about my buttocks." Link purred and raised an eyebrow at her.

That was certainly not an answer she had expected. The sheer cheek of it! To her vexation she felt her face turn red again. What could she even reply to that?!

"While it was hard to tell with them being constantly knocked to the floor, they certainly aren't the worst I have ever seen." she said, not quite thinking it through.

Link couldn't have wished for a better answer. "Well then! Seen so many, have you? Is that a peculiar royal prerogative or just your personal preference?" he questioned with a crooked grin.

Goddess damn it, he could even retort in alliteration! Zelda was beginning to think that she might be putting her foot in her mouth.

But with him… who cares?! Let's take the bull by the horns!

"Personal preference. Though it does definitely depend on the debated derrière whether or not I deem durable discussion too daring, you dirty degenerate." she intoned and was quite proud of herself.

To her delight Link's mouth popped open and he made a flabbergasted face. He stood up straight and saluted crisply. "A clear victory, I'd say. My princess wins this round."

Zelda had to admit she liked the way he said 'my princess'. She also had to admit how much joy it brought her to have won their verbal fencing.

She waved a lazy hand. "I shall be merciful. Thy life is thine!" she sang haughtily.

Then she returned to being sincere and smiled shyly at him. "I am looking forward to the next round."

"You bloody, good-for-nothing, useless, bloody idiot!" Sally fumed at her.

"You have him right were you want, he couldn't even run away if he wanted since he's hurt, you're standing close _and you do nothing_?" she yelled.

Zelda motioned her to be more quiet, feeling a mix of indignation and amusement at her cousin's outburst.

"What kind of a girl are you? You mope around like a love-sick bint for weeks, then there's your chance, but nooo! You're such an idiot! Really! And so is he, by the way for not grabbing you and reeling you in! So actually you fit each other really bloody well." Saria spluttered, stomping around Zelda's quarters and waving her arms in exasperation.

Zelda couldn't help but laugh at the show she was offered. While she completely, wholeheartedly agreed with her, it was just too funny to see the younger girl get so upset for her sake.

"It was fine, really! At first it was extremely awkward, true, but then we shared the best laugh I've ever had. I loved it!" she said between giggles.

"Laugh?!" Sally asked hotly, looking at her cousin as if she had gone utterly insane. "You two nutters should have shared the best kiss you've ever had, goddess damn it! If you want laughs go into a puppet theatre for kids. Although, stop, no! You might get the two things mixed up again and start smooching all the puppets. Idiot!" she sighed, shaking her head.

Zelda just continued giggling. At least Sally now seemed to have spit all the fire she had. She stopped her heated pacing and dropped down on to the bed next to Zelda.

Her rage-filled face instantly turned into an eager smile. "So, how did he look?"

Zelda described in detail how Link had looked and acted, how he had comforted her, how much of an idiot she had felt – "You keep not believing me" Sally interjected in her charming way – how wonderfully liberating their giggle fit had been…

In the end Saria made a sour face. "You don't deserve him, you coward. I should go to him right now and explain that there has been a terrible mistake and I am, in fact, the one he wants."

"Yes? Where are your numerous conquests to back up your big mouth?" Zelda asked mockingly.

"Well how is a girl supposed to have a meaningful conquest when all boys either look like garbage, are too thick to tie their own shoelaces or are so stuck up that you'd be unsure whether they even know what shoelaces are!" she grumbled.

"Well what about the big young man who's friends with Link? His sense of humour seemed almost as crude as yours, if I recall correctly." Zelda proposed on cue.

Sally made an appreciative face. "Sure, I'd be happy to see in what category he falls. But how am I even supposed to meet him again? As soon as your boyfriend is fine, he'll have to return to Ord, probably…" she said, her voice betraying her discontent with the situation.

"I am sure we can arrange something, my 'boyfriend' and I." She gave her little cousin a soft clap on the cheek at the word 'boyfriend'.

"The question is, should I subject that poor, unsuspecting boy to your whimsical tyranny, dear cousin? Or is it not my duty to protect one of my subjects from certain harm?" Zelda mused.

"I'll give you certain harm if you don't help me, you! Without my 'whimsical tyranny' you would still mope around, too craven to make any sort of move!" Sally growled.

The young princess couldn't even deny it. She was eternally thankful to her pushy young friend for giving her the decisive kick out the door. So, if she could help her have her own little adventure… though she might want to keep an eye out, so Sally wouldn't get too… keen. Better keep both eyes out, and her ears.

"Right, right. The next time I see him, I'll ask him to bring his big friend." Zelda confirmed.

"Then we'll see how you deal with a situation like this. Goddess, now I would love to see you shuffle around awkwardly in front of a boy. That would do my tired heart so good! Maybe Link and I can get front row seats to that spectacle! Would you like an audience?" she asked in mock seriousness.

"Sure, but only if they pay to enter and I get to keep the revenue." the younger girl countered without skipping a beat.

"Oh, and, you already decided on a next time?" Saria asked smugly.

The corner's of Zelda's mouth were tugged into a little smile and she looked away. "We did. Tomorrow." she whispered sheepishly.

Sally sighed, scooted over and put her arm around her bigger cousin's shoulders.

"From the bottom of my heart, Zelda, I wish you all the fun in the world." she said, envious. "And if you two let another opportunity go to waste, goddesses be my witness, I will smash down there like a divine fury and crack your faces together!"


	20. Chapter 19

To the two gentlefolk who kindly sent a review yesterday: I didn't delete them! They just refuse to show up, at least on my end. Apparently that happens from time to time, it should be fixed within a few days…

Chapter 19

Link

Out of the hospital and hopefully never back! That infernal nurse had insisted that he stay past dinner and his tries to resist seemed to only grant her diabolic glee. The doctor had come once more today, had made a grudging comment about the ludicrous healing ability of youth and had stalked off again without even looking Link in the eyes once. The she dragon persistently protested that he could not possibly be 'released' yet. He had tried to explain to her, in a vain attempt at reasoning, that this was no prison he could be 'released' from. From a hospital you are discharged, he elucidated, which had earned him a motherly smile of ultimate evil. After he had wolfed the fatty gloop they called dinner he grabbed his meagre belongings and ran.

He had to admit though, the physician had a point. What had yesterday been a painful sting at his shoulder was now merely an annoyingly strong itch. More than once he had already raised his hand to scratch his back, only to refrain at the last second when his brain deigned to do a little bit of thinking.

His chest was still sore, though he suspected that was mostly due to yesterday's nearly orgiastic laughing fit. If a little tenderness was the price for that experience, he was more than happy to pay double.

The thought of that magnificent shared moment still made him grin like a loon. He wasn't kidding when he said they were probably both completely insane. Who else would act like that? Still, if insanity was this enjoyable and he could share it with Zelda, he wouldn't have it any other way.

However… he was still pretty cross with himself. It had once again been a night full of aimless rumination.

Why in all three goddesses' names had he hesitated? Just… why?!

He had recalled that one moment again and again. With hindsight on his side now it had been so obvious! She kept standing so close he could have just bent down and he would have been right there! Her stunning sky blue eyes had been darting from his eyes to his mouth and she had been anxiously biting her own full, beautifully curved lips. When Link thought about how utterly, utterly unmistakable it had been, he wanted to slap himself! The one time he clearly should have listened to his body… but no, his moronic brain had to overthink it!

'What if you misjudge her completely?'

'What if she's just being friendly?'

'What if she'll be shocked and you'll have ruined everything?' Link mocked his inner voice. He was such a complete bloody idiot!

He stopped his brisk walk, took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. He ignored the young made that had nearly bumped into him for suddenly halting and now gave him a look as if he'd gone insane.

Let. It. Rest. Damn it.

Even though he'd ruined that chance – and probably looked like an utter wimp in her eyes – she had agreed to meet again. That surely meant that not all was lost, right? If you thought about it, she probably hasn't too much experience with all that… boy and girl… nonsense either. Right?!

He continued on his way, now that he got his rampaging thoughts to take a breather. What's past is past. Now he'll look forward to their next meeting.

The thought gave him a warm, fuzzy feeling. Slightly inappropriate for the sword fighting lesson, he had to admit. As much as he looked forward to seeing her afterwards – and it was quite a lot – he had to focus on other things now. Link had absolutely no idea what expected him during Sir Alistair's tutelage. But he certainly did not want to make a bad impression, mostly since it would reflect badly on Sir Russel. The thought of starting a new tuition with another teacher was an uncomfortable one. He almost felt as if he was about to abandon his old mentor. Thankfully he'd had the opportunity to talk it through with him. Sir Russel of course mimed the gruff old bear who was glad to be rid of a pesky young 'whippersnapper' but it was an obvious act. He'd also told him that, if Link were to decline the blademaster's offer, he didn't want to continue teaching him anyway, since he'd have to be a complete imbecile. The old knight had said that he couldn't remember the man ever giving private lessons.

Link wasn't so sure that it had been an 'offer'. First of all, he was a knight-aspirant now, which meant that Sir Alistair was a direct superior and a very high one at that. Secondly, the manner in which he had 'offered' the tutelage had been very odd. Visiting him personally in the hospital while he no doubt had all his hands full with restoring order? Asking him what he knew about the incident without suspecting him of anything? That unsettling comment about staying on his guard because the king had plans for him? It all didn't make much sense. He would have to cautiously pry more information from him, which did not sound like the most pleasant endeavour.

The closer Link got to the knights' compound, the more uncomfortable he felt. More and more he sensed prying eyes on him. Stares of mild curiosity from the elders, some gazes with poorly veiled hostility from the young ones. He certainly did not feel like he belonged here. Many different groups of squires and aspirants were standing about, each and everyone older than him. They all glanced at him, some surreptitiously, most of them openly. They all wore far finer garb than he did. Almost all of them had the haughty sneer he had come to expect from nobility. They were not happy he was here… Many probably took him for a servant, delivering a sword to one of his 'betters'.

Link knew it was stupid and useless, but he still felt offended. While there was no law against commoners becoming knights, none whatsoever, it still was a rare occurrence. People who had to work for a living usually couldn't afford the time to become capable enough with sword or bow and they seldom had acquaintances who might aid them. So, once again, noble youths had an immense advantage. Link frowned at the injustice of it all. He only had this opportunity because his family was relatively rich. If André had had true need for his help, he'd never have been allowed to leave Ord. But he was here and he won the tourney and he'd saved the princess and, Link was almost sure, they all knew that. And he worried them.

'Good!' Link thought with a grim smile. Let them worry! I have already jumped past all you squires and it wasn't because my daddy has a lot of influence. Link decided that he would accept their offensive stares and draw a fierce satisfaction from them. If his mere presence already angered those noble dunces, he must be doing something right!

He'd still have to be careful though. Angry people make mistakes, as Sir Russel kept saying. If too many angry people made the same mistake, attacking him for example, it could get ugly very quickly. And he had no delusions that, in case of a quarrel, it was going to be him who would be held responsible by the equally poncy seniors. Tread carefully, but with confidence!

Link was about to enter the rough stone barracks when a young man stepped in front of him. He was about 18 or 19, short brown hair and next to no chin.

"Where do you think you're going, boy?" he snarled.

Link had to stop himself from rolling his eyes. Here we go…

"I am knight-aspirant Link Andrésson and I am expected by blademaster Alistair." he said calmly, knowing it wouldn't help.

The taller lad started to laugh loudly. It sounded extremely forced. He obviously just wanted to make him uncomfortable.

Link had occasionally talked to soldiers who passed through Ord. Some of them had spoken about what the senior soldiers had done to them when they were new and inexperienced. Some of those initiation rituals had been downright nasty. This was clearly something of a similar nature.

The door-guard seemed to end his little spectacle of disingenuous laughing. Possibly because, Link noticed with some surprise, not too many were actually paying attention.

"Ahh, that's a good one. Did you get lost on your way to the servant entrance, boy?" he asked in mock helpfulness.

Link frowned and slowly shook his head. "How very creative! Is that the question they asked you on your first day here? Does it feel as good as you had hoped?" Link questioned with a bored voice.

Clearly not the answer Chinless had been expecting, for his already rather dull expression dimmed considerably.

'That wasn't smart…' Link scolded himself. He should have just stayed completely unemotional and correct. Now the only thing the dimwit could do to save his honour was to take it to a physical level. Link readied himself for anything the guy might do once he had figured it out. This wasn't going particularly well…

"Let him through, Gant! He is who he says he is." a strangely high voice said behind him.

Link turned and saw Gors of house Gorridan, his rival in the tourney finals. He was glad to see him; he seemed a straight sort of noble, if such a thing existed.

"You don't get to tell me who I let through, Squire!" the older lad snarled, raising his finger menacingly at Gors.

"Then I challenge you to duel. Right now." He said levelly.

Link could see Chinless's attempt to figure out this complex equation translated on his face. 'Fight against duelling finalist who is 4 years younger and possibly losing equals Not good!'

"Fine. It's on your head if servant boy here causes any trouble though."

With a sour look for each of them he stepped out of the way.

Link knew it was foolish, but hearing this idiot call him 'servant boy' still stung. Not on personal level, of course, you also don't get offended by a four year old calling you 'dummy'. But the general inequity of it all just rubbed him the wrong way.

The two even-aged lads went inside.

He didn't know whether Gors could tell that Link was quietly fuming, but he said in an unusual display of talkativeness: "That was just Gant. He did the same thing with me yesterday. He probably really doesn't know who you are. Probably the only one."

Link looked at the larger boy with the unfitting voice, slightly surprised. He had to imagine what he must go through, cursed with that painful falsetto. And, unlike himself, the young noble could do nothing to change it. He felt a sudden sympathy and, he had to admit, a new level of respect. Gors did not show any outward uncertainty. Either it truly didn't bother him, or he just didn't let it get to the surface. "How do you deal with it?" Link asked on a whim. He realized right away that this question could go horribly wrong and he might anger his (possibly) only ally.

Gors slowed and looked at him, clear surprise on his normally impassive features. Link was about to apologize for the inappropriate question when a tiny, understanding smile graced his round face. "Years and years of practice." He simply said. Link nodded, sombrely. It had been a stupid question, but he had gotten an honest answer. The larger lad had apparently understood his sincere intentions, born from uncertainty about the new situation.

Who knows? He might actually make a friend among the nobility. Link found that a slightly amusing thought. He would have to readjust his opinion of the higher classes… that would take some time and effort!

Gors' fleeting willingness for conversation seemed exhausted. He gave a slow nod, then walked away before Link could ask him where the sparring room was.

'Oddball', he thought, more amused than derogatory.

Link steeled himself for more confrontations as he moved on but to his surprise, none came. People stared, some conversations in the corridors turned noticeably more hushed as he walked by, but no-one got in his way. He even asked one of the friendlier looking lads for direction and got them promptly.

Hmm! Maybe that Gant fellow at the door had been a singular occurrence? Link wasn't convinced but maybe, once the novelty had worn off, he could just coexist.

He found thick oaken door to the sparring room. He wasn't quite sure what to do now. Should he just enter? Was he expected to wait until Sir Alistair came? Knocking seemed idiotic; if people were sparring inside, nobody would hear or care. Link hoped that no-one would come by while he stood frozen in front of a closed door like an idiot.

He decided to risk it and go in.

Inside was a huge hall, big enough for four standard tournament squares. Link marvelled at the architecture. The centre stone pillar was adorned with iron thorns jutting menacingly outwards. It held the domed stone roof that was painted with many different scenes of battle, some between armies of men, others between hylian and monster. There were large windows on three sides of the hall, flooding it with enough light that torches weren't needed. The walls too were painted. Link immediately identified the high forms of swordmastery, detailed step by step. Above the illustrations hung hundreds of swords in their scabbards. Some were simple, others were embellished and ornamented like an old duchess' dressing gown; pointlessly cluttered not helping the horrible total impression.

The room was mostly empty. In the back Link spotted Sir Alistair in the middle of a gaggle of young men, squires probably. Two of them were sparring, with the blademaster refereeing. He could hear him wheeze instructions. "Quicker! I said jabs only, I want to see fast, abrupt motions, not heavy swings! His guard's too high, punish him for it. To slow, damn it, now he's corrected it."

Link approached, trying to be noticed by the blademaster, and at the same time remain unobtrusive. Each and every one of the lads tunics was finer than anything Link had ever owned. Again, he felt painfully out of place, like a thorn in someone's foot. He tried to reason with himself, that he had been invited here, that he had already proven that he belonged here, but there was always that part of him that didn't quite believe it.

A few of the nobles had noticed him and scrutinized him dismissively. Link didn't pay them any attention, he was more focused on the duel in the middle. It wasn't all that impressive, he concluded. The combatant with his back to him lunged and jabbed his opponent once in the side, then quickly to the side of the head. The stricken swordsman fell on his backside out of sheer surprise, then cursed very colourfully.

"Two clean hits." the referee rasped, without much conviction.

"Sir Alistair, sir!" one of the boys in the crowd spoke up. His voice seemed more oily than a blade to be put into storage. "Konrad was clearly just distracted by that boy." He regarded Link like you would a mouldy apple.

"Konrad is a fool, then, for letting himself be distracted." the blademaster retorted sternly. "No-one will give a damn about distractions during a duel and I certainly won't either. Konrad is the loser and Firenz ascends in rank."

Then he pointed a hand towards Link. "You, step away! Do not interrupt again these young _gentlemen_ have left." he growled.

Link frowned but turned and walked to the other end of the room. He felt very vexed. He had not 'interrupted' anything! If they couldn't hold their focus on someone waving a stick in their face, they deserved to get whacked! And now he had been sent off like a disobedient child to stand in the corner!

He thought he had caught a sarcastic inflection on the word 'gentlemen' but with the blademaster's croaking voice, it was exceedingly hard to tell.

Had he been wrong about the man? When he had met him previously, he had seemed like an honourable, fair man with a no-nonsense attitude. A man Link could respect… had that judgement been in error? Would he, too, let him feel his low birth at every turn?

Link quietly fumed, reading the plaques under the swords without great interest. When the 'gentlemen' finally sodded off, he approached the man who would be his teacher again, his anger letting him forget his inhibitions. He strode past the sneering older boys and addressed the old knight.

"I am here, blademaster, as ordered. Though apparently I have made a mistake in showing my commoner face to these young _gentlemen_." Link said in a vitriolic manner. Right now his temper would not allow him to play nice. If he was a knight-aspirant he would damn well be treated as such.

Sir Alistair only raised an eyebrow. "You did indeed come earlier than expected. I thought I would be done with this lesson before you arrive. Is there anything you would like to say?" he wheezed levelly.

'Quite a few things, actually!' Link thought bitterly. Aloud he asked: "Why, if you agree to teach me privately, do you treat me like something to be tossed aside when some noble brats are watching? I can not remember Sir Russel ever being ashamed of being my mentor, Sir." He chose his words carefully, not accusing him of anything directly, but instead comparing him to his old master.

The aging man showed an amused grin. Almost playful, really, which didn't quite fit with the rest of his appearance at all.

"You are correct. They cannot be allowed to see me teaching you." he said with a hoarse chuckle.

Link took a deep breath. He had expected this, he told himself. He would have to take it like a man and simply become too good to be scoffed at like this.

"I will, in the future, endeavour not to embarrass you in front of your students again, blademaster." He said icily, staring straight at his grey eyes.

The knight held his gaze with his own cold stare for a few seconds.

Then he cracked and laughed a weird sounding, croaking cackle that, despite everything, seemed genuine to Link.

"Embarrass me? Link, you misunderstand." He removed the scabbard with his own training blade from his belt, looked at it briefly and threw it carelessly into the corner where it clattered against the wall.

"I teach those prancing little pants-wetters the colourful and gentlemanly art of the duel, with its sporting limitations and proscriptions against dishonourable engagements." he rasped in disgust, stepping closer.

"You, on the other hand," he said and gave Link a firm poke on his forehead. "will learn how to kill with a sword!"

Link was stunned. The blademaster had pulled his leg. That old, scary, stern bastard had just been screwing with him.

The utter shock at that sheer impossible event had blown out his anger and he had to suppress a relieved giggle. Laughing at what he had just been told really didn't seem appropriate.

Sir Alistair turned and walked away slowly. "I apologize for that disagreeable mummery. But the king was very frank. The training you receive here is special and it will serve a special purpose. Let these buffoons think whatever they want. After the little show we just gave them, they won't even consider that I am training you far beyond what I'd ever teach their brainless carcasses." he mused aloud.

Link felt a nice balm of satisfaction on his chafed self-esteem at his words. But the repeated mentioning of the king and his plans troubled him.

"Sir, what is this purpose the king has for me?" he asked, trying to sound nonchalant but not quite managing.

"If I knew, I'd tell you, lad. Truly. I do not like this any more than you. Gifted though you might be, you're still very young. You shouldn't be burdened beyond your years." the knight wheezed with as much kindness as you could expect from a voice like his. "The king is not someone who enjoys secrets and mystery. I expect you will be told soon, what this is all about."

Link didn't feel very reassured, but he believed the man. With a sudden pang of guilt he realized how easily he had discounted the knight as 'just another one of them'.

"…I too need to apologize, blademaster. I let my anger get the better of me and I was unnecessarily rude." Link said sincerely.

Sir Alistair looked at him, nodded curtly, then, with a small grunt, made a dismissive gesture. "If that were all it took to offend me… it did give me a precious bit of insight into you though, lad." he rasped and crossed his arms. "You're hot headed. Not necessarily a problem, if you control it. Passion can give a man great strength, if it is reigned by the mind. Your exploits are an excellent example, lad. You were certainly passionate… but you're also still alive, which suggests that your brain has not ceased all function during the crisis. Every Bokoblin can fall into blood rage. Few men can walk the brink between hot fervour and cold calculation. Whether you have found that fine line by accident or by choice is something we'll find out during training."

Link listened intently. He could immediately tell that this man knew what he was talking about. He had effortlessly put into words what Link had been trying to achieve in every duel he'd had. The really interesting part would come, however, when they left the theory behind and Sir Alistair demonstrated the true extent of his skill.

As if on cue, the aging knight said: "We've already dawdled enough with philosophy. Time to get our hands dirty. Walk over to the chest and open it."

Link did as ordered. It was an enormous box of worm-ridden wood, at least two and half metres in length. The lid alone must have weighed ten kilos. Inside Link saw an assortment of weapons that would fill every boy's heart with glee. Dozens of different swords in all a wide variety of shapes, many sizes and designs of lance and spear, a few blunt weapons… a whole carnival of jagged edges, spikes and blades! Link could hardly take his eyes off it all.

"Grab it all and dump it on the floor, quickly now!" the blademaster barked.

Link looked at him in confusion for a second, then grabbed an armful of stuff and, upon nodded confirmation from his new teacher, he dropped it on the floor with ear-piercing clatter. He repeated the process until the chest was empty. All the while, Sir Alistair had produced a range of shields and laid them out close to the heap of metal.

"Now, pick!" the old man commanded.

Link saw where this was going. He was given the choice between any weapon he could find and then, armed to the teeth, he'd probably receive his arse-kicking.

Well, in that case…

Link turned on his heel, walked towards the spot where he'd stashed his own sword and picked it up. He was about to say he was done, but thought better of it. He took a look at the twelve different shields on display. One seemed taller than he was, and probably heavier… In the end he picked a small wooden heater shield that wouldn't hamper his mobility too much. He swung the piece of wood on his right arm around, trying to adjust his balance.

Ric, Mart and he had, of course, practiced with 'shields' back in Ord, when they were children. More than once he'd nabbed one of his mother's pot lids and more than once she'd administered a firm hiding to his buttocks.

Duelling didn't allow shields, so he was quite unused to them. Still, it seemed like the perfect time to rectify this. A little added protection would certainly come in handy.

"Done!" he said firmly.

Sir Alistair had followed his choices with an amused expression. "Smart boy. Seems like I won't have to do too much work on your common sense. Also, not a bad choice of shield. I thought you'd prefer the arming sword and shield style. Always heed your first choice, especially in matters of combat. You need not confine yourself to these hunches but keep them in your mind, still." he instructed. The blademaster walked over to the pile and surveyed it critically, as if searching for something. "The problem that you are currently having, lad, is that you know only one type of opponent. Well, that is. Let's see…" he bent down and pulled a simple, long spear out of the heap. Then he turned back and looked Link fiercely in the eyes. "Right, let's begin."

Link was about to draw his sword, but then remembered. That sword was sharp! He had checked the other weapons and they were all blunted.

"Sir Alistair, my sword is…" he didn't get farther. The blademaster danced over the clutter of metal and thrust the spear right at Link's chest. Out of instinct he yanked the shield to his middle and jumped to his right. He deflected the spear tip, barely, but he nearly sprained his ankle when he landed on one of the shields. Sir Alistair was already there. He used Link's momentary lack of balance and rammed the butt of the spear right at his face. He, once again, had to rip his shield up to block, this time not deflecting but taking the brunt of the attack on his right arm. His shoulder stung in protest, but he couldn't pay attention to that now. He nearly stumbled as he was pushed back, but regained sure footing quickly. He finally drew his sword.

"It's sharp!" he yelled.

"So? Won't matter unless you hit me!" Sir Alistair croaked back. He thrust the spear out with one so he got maximum reach. Link deflected it, but before he could try to swipe at it with his sword, the old man had already pulled it back.

Holy trinity, he was quick. Link tried to use what he had learned fighting that pervy crone with her staff. He darted in, holding his shield in front of him. Unfortunately, he hadn't thought about how much the plank of wood would block his lower vision. He saw Sir Alistair move, but it was too late until he understood what he was doing. The spear tip whacked against his ankle just before he set it down and pushed it away. Link was only just able to roll up and not fall flat on his face. He felt his back scrape over the different pieces of metal on the floor. When he was upright again he immediately swung with his sword, but his opponent was long gone. For a panicky instant he wondered where he'd gone. Something that can only be described as sixth sense made him duck his head and turn with his shield held high. His mentor's weapon hissed past where the back of his head had just been and was knocked away by Link's shield. That had been so freaking close! He jumped towards his enemy and, time going impossibly slowly, aimed his deadly blade at his weapon between his hands. The blademaster, however, didn't have the courtesy of slowing with the rest of the world. He, equally fast, turned, blocked Link's hand with the wooden handle, then cracked the upper part against his unprotected head.

Link, despite his vision jumping before his eyes, drew his sword back so the blade cut at the wood that had just stopped his hand. He felt the metal bite into the softer material, but suddenly the spear rotated with a speed and force that his sword was twisted out of his grip. A millisecond later he felt the steel tip scratch against his neck. Link waited until his vision cleared. He had to admit that, during the entire bout, he'd never even once had had the upper hand. He was soundly defeated.

That didn't cause him any distress, however. Quite the opposite, he felt an eager grin form on his face. Din's hellfire, this man was insanely good! And he would learn all he could from him.

"Not bad, kid. Not bad at all." he rasped. Link felt a huge bubble of pride rise in his chest. He suspected that when this man said that, it meant something.

"What was good: reaction time, improvisation, agility. What was excellent: you managed to utilize your shield, which you're not used to, and it didn't throw you off. Now, what was bad?" he asked, slowly removing the spear from Link's jugular and standing back.

Link bowed to pick up his sword so he'd have a second to think. That was a good question, actually. He wasn't here to hear how good he was. He was here to hear what he was bad at, what could be improved! There was, of course, no reason to beat about the bush and he was genuinely interested.

"One: I hesitated. I did so for safety, but I should have realized right away that you were aware about my sword. And you attacked me without little warning, so you had to expect my defence, whatever it might be. Two: My ability to react to your choice of weapon. I am simply not as proficient at predicting the movements of weapons other than the sword. Three: The stuff on the floor completely threw my balance off. I am used to even duelling squares. Stepping on something slanted and slippery nearly made me fall…" Link hesitated.

Sir Alistair had nodded curtly at each of his points. "Four?" he now asked.

The lad thought for another second, then shook his head.

"Four: you've lost sight of me. During your roll you've allowed me to escape your perception completely. By all rights I should have had the fight right there. But, amazingly, you reacted perfectly and evaded. After that point you moved with surprising speed and accuracy and I actually had to defend, which I, frankly, hadn't planned for. _You_ taught _me_ something, lad: Not to underestimate you, not even for a second." he rattled, with an appreciating nod.

While Link couldn't claim that he'd had total mental control over his movements, he still felt extremely happy with Sir Alistair's evaluation. Didn't matter that it was technically packaged in critique!

"Five: You lost your sword, lad. More precisely, you moved in a way that allowed me to wrest it from your hand. Very rarely a good thing, wouldn't you say?"

Link nodded with a face of acceptance.

"Good. You've analyzed it all quite well. Especially the uneven ground I wanted you to experience. You will hardly ever fight monsters or, indeed, sapient races on a tournament square. Either be ready to move on the terrain at hand, or find a way to choose your own battlefield. Simple as that."

Link nodded. He wondered what feats of nastiness the blademaster had in store for him to train on rock, mud, woods etc.

Another thought had caught Link's interest.

"Will I be learning to use other weapons, like spears?" he asked.

Sir Alistair looked at him as if he had suddenly turned daft.

"Why the hell do you think I let you choose, lad?" he barked. "You can't rely on one weapon to fit all situations! What if you don't have it? What if you lose your sword? Do you give up? Or do you take whatever's available and use it? I bloody hate using spears, wretched things!" he rasped and flicked the insulted weapon away with a disgusted face. "Every warrior worth his salt has to be at least familiar with the feel of different arms. Ideally I'd let every green boy use every weapon we have, from a piece of wood to the tallest, heaviest swords. If the first time you use a weapon is the moment you truly need it, you'll probably end up some creature's food. I'd also recommend carrying a couple of knives with you. Can't have too many knives…" he mused.

Link looked at the mess of blades, edges, spikes, tips and curves… he felt, at the same time, eager and slightly intimidated. But he could, of course, see the sense in Sir Alistair's words.

Well, you have to start somewhere…

Two and a half hours later, at about 4 o'clock, he left the building. If any sneers accompanied him from the others on the plaza, frankly, didn't notice them. He was just too bloody tired.

Link hadn't forgotten about his date, of course. The thought alone sent a jolt of anticipation through his body. He just hoped that she wasn't too energetic today, or he'd have to feel like an old man with creaking, aching joints. Sir Alistair had seriously put him through the wringer. The man apparently knew no fatigue. He had allowed him to choose any weapons that interested him and to attack him as he saw fit. It had been a fascinating experience, getting to use all those different blades, staff weapons, greatswords, etc. It had also been surprisingly tiring for his brain. He had forced it to learn so many different movements, applications, advantages, disadvantages and tricks that it now felt thoroughly exhausted.

… Hopefully she also didn't make him think. He doubted he could match her alliteration game today.

Sir Alistair, thankfully, had organized a chamber for him. Appropriate to his standing it was a tiny, tiny room where one side was almost precisely as long as the bed. There he had found a washing bowl and a trunk where he could lock in his stuff.

Somewhat freshened up, he was now underway to their meeting point, in front of the knight's hospital. Link shuddered at the thought of going near that thing again, but it had been the obvious spot for their next encounter. It was still within the castle, so she could move freely, without being encumbered by guards.

To his pleasure, the princess seemed a punctual girl. To somewhat less delight, she had brought her friend, the girl he had met at the fighter's compound. She couldn't be serious, could she?

Giving her the benefit of the doubt, he greeted her with a bright smile. She smiled back and actually sped up so she nearly ran towards him. He certainly wouldn't have minded if she jumped into his arms, but that would have been a drastic alteration of the pace they had been going.

"My princess!" he said with an unnecessarily deep bow and an even more unnecessary flourish with his hand.

Zelda grinned amusedly and did a formal, exceedingly correct curtsy. "Sir knight!" she purred.

Link saw the smaller, dark haired girl roll her eyes dramatically. "Goddess, you two are stiff. Thank the three I don't have to witness you two." she sighed.

Ah yes, Link had almost forgotten. That girl seemed to be a bit of a loud-mouth.

Zelda made a face. "Yes, thank the three indeed. Now, why don't you tell Link what you wish to ask of him, little cousin? You seemed so very confident only a few moments ago." she mocked her.

Link felt almost scared. What could that girl want with him?

"Sally, right?" he said with a friendly smile. "Pleased to meet you again."

The girl looked at him briefly, then looked away and blushed ever so slightly. "Yes, yes, and you. I don't want to interrupt your shuffling-awkwardly-around-and-giggling-extravaganza but I err… wanted to ask for a favour." She said quickly.

Link caught a quick sardonic look from Zelda.

"Please do!" he urged. He wanted to spend time with that fascinating girl beside the shuffling-awkwardly-around-herself-lass.

"Right. Err… I err… would like to see your big friend again. You know, Lord Hamwell Cockelstrong. That idiot." she mumbled with a lopsided grin. No her face was completely red.

Link was about to laugh out loudly, but caught himself at the last second. She obviously meant it quite seriously. So, instead, he nodded with an amused grin. "He said he would leave for Ord in six days. I have agreed to meet him in the city tomorrow at about nine o'clock. Since I can imagine that he would prefer your company over mine, I'll send him right up to the castle compound when I meet him." Her tense, red face broke into a delighted smile. She darted forward and hugged him tightly, her head at his chest level. He was quite taken aback. "Then I'll wait at the main gate for him! And don't you dare forget to tell him!" she threatened, released him and then skipped away.

Link looked at Zelda with very astonished face. He must have looked quite the idiot, as she started to laugh in her wonderfully bright voice. Seeing her laugh so freely, he couldn't help but join in.

"So that just happened, apparently. What was that?" he asked between giggles.

"Oh, just some gremlin I have picked up at some point. Listens to the name Saria, sometimes. It tends to bite, sarcastically." Zelda explained absolutely nothing.

"Ah, I see. You seem to have a talent for picking poor wretched creatures and making their life a little better." he said flirtingly.

He liked the slight colour that showed on her cheeks at that admittedly idiotic comment.

"Well… I do usually expect something back for my charity…" she uttered bashfully.

She turning back and forth in a very charming, girly way. Her white dress wafted in the rhythm of her movement. Link marvelled at the breathtaking beauty of the young woman in front of him. The long, golden hair with a few tiny braids as sole adornment. Her immaculate, cute face… from the nobly arched eyebrows over her bright, intelligent eyes to that lovely, straight nose to her softly smiling, pink lips hiding perfect white teeth… Every time he could lay eyes on her, he discovered a new, captivating detail.

Link knew he was staring, but he didn't care right now. Besides, she had stared too and he had been nearly naked at the time… fair's fair!

Her beautiful, delicate hands were shyly playing with the bow of the ribbon around her waist.

His heart beat fast with his growing nervousness, but he wouldn't be deterred by that any longer.

Link stepped closer, slowly extended his left hand and gently took her right in his.

She looked up at him with surprised eyes. He smiled back softly.

"Anything that I can give you is yours." he mumbled.

He looked into her face, which slowly, timidly broke into a wide, staggeringly beautiful smile. He felt her squeeze his hand in return.

Link felt his impish smile return to his features.

"Now. Why don't you show me the castle gardens, your highness?"


	21. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Link

Link felt alive! His heart beat strongly and every couple of deeper than usual breaths he caught a whiff of Zelda's sweet, intoxicating scent. His brain had long given up thinking, he didn't need it right now anyway.

They were walking sheepishly from courtyard to courtyard, her right hand in his left. Only once they were forced to pass through a gateway guarded by two soldiers. Zelda's hand had twitched, as if she had reflexively wanted to pull it away. But in the end had remained in his. She even pressed it firmer as they passed between the guards, like she had made the decision that she didn't care who saw them like this. Link could understand her apprehension… for him, walking through the inner castle compound with the princess and actually touching her in this familiar way… he almost felt like he was committing treason. When he felt her choice not to hide their mutual affection, he had a frisson of excitement. She had decided to be with him, to even show herself with him, whatever the resulting difficulties might be. He had to resist the urge to hug her tightly right then and there. That, despite everything, would probably still land him in the dungeons.

Zelda led him through lowly frequented paths towards the gardens. He noticed that she seemed to know her castle and its hidden corners very well. Once again he realized that this wasn't a girl who would idly sit in front of her dressing table, vapidly looking at herself in the mirror. No, this was a girl who sneaked out of the safety of her retinue to explore a smithy and get her hands dirty. The kind of curious girl that wanted to investigate each and every corner of her home, especially the ones that were off the beaten track. She had probably bothered every worker, every cook, every stonemason with her inquisitive nature, but he imagined that, from a girl as breathtaking as she, the working men and women had quite a high tolerance for being bothered.

He glanced sideways at her. She noticed, of course and looked down, bashfully. Whether from the front or in profile, her features were stunning. Even her long, pointy ears were just the perfect shape. His gaze wandered lower. Her smooth, delicate neckline… Link was on the wrong side, so he couldn't see, but he knew that there was still a tiny pink line where the assassin's knife had cut her. A painful blemish on an otherwise perfect skin. For the first time he really noticed that, today, she wore a light summer dress, not the usual plain ones with their collars buttoned up high. Today she showed just a tiny bit of skin lower than her collarbones and a bit of shoulder. Tiny, but quite enough to send both Link's imagination and heart-rate into overdrive. He swallowed. Then he ran headfirst against a doorframe.

The resulting smack resounded in the entire courtyard.

"Goodness! Are you alright?" Zelda asked, first shocked, then rather amused. Link, holding his head felt both pain and a healthy dose of humiliation. He had ogled her for at least 20 seconds and the divine wrath of the doorframe had punished him for his insolence. Goddess bloody damn it, but he was an idiot!

"Serves you right for staring, you!" she said happily between giggling. She stood on tiptoe, took his head between her hands and bent it gently downward so she could see the chastised spot on his forehead. Link blushed furiously as she brushed his hair away to reveal whether he had actually hurt himself.

"Nothing! It won't even leave a bump." she said softly, her expression still full of slightly malicious glee.

"Well good. I couldn't stand the notion of you having to spend time with someone who looks like a Hinox has sat on his face. What would the people think?!" he asked dramatically.

"Probably 'Wow, he must have run face-first into a doorpost while not keeping his eyes to himself!', I'd imagine." She was having altogether too much fun while making him feel like an idiot. 'Which I undoubtedly am…' Link added in his thoughts.

"I seem to remember a certain young lady eyeing my rather scantily clothed frame unabashedly… where was decency at that moment, I wonder?" He said, with a lopsided grin. His forehead still hurt, but he was thoroughly enjoying her soft hands on his face. For all he cared, such administration was definitely worth a little headache. All too soon Zelda lowered her hands. Her left brushed lightly against his chest and arm on its way down… coincidence?

She returned her gaze to his eyes. Now she at least had the decency of flushing somewhat, Link thought, amused.

"Someone who admits young ladies into his room should have enough decorum to at least clad himself properly." She retorted.

"Else he deed not be surprised that he is the focus of attention." Zelda added with an impish smile. Link sighed audibly. It was the cutest little face that he had ever seen. It also gave but the tiniest inkling of what might lie behind her outward innocence. Link's tired brain threatened to melt with the stress of trying and simultaneously _not_ trying to think of the implications. He was suddenly once again very aware of how close she stood. Once again he noticed a detail he had previously been unaware of. Around the bridge of her nose she had just a few, tiny, adorable freckles. He immediately fell in love with them.

He was staring again! Last time the doorframe of retribution had smitten him for his procacity… what new divine punishment might he incur if he kept making the same mistake?

'Why'd the Three make her so unbelievably captivating, then?' his thoughts asked the world in general, exasperated.

With sheer force of will he turned back towards where they had been going and timidly offered his left hand again.

She took it with only the tiniest hesitation and interlocked her fingers with his.

He racked his exhausted brain about what she had said last. It had been only playful banter, but he couldn't just let her take the victory that easily.

… ah yes, focus of attention!

"What, then, is the purpose of all my training if I am not allowed to enjoy the attention of young ladies? Especially if they give it so willingly?" he asked slyly.

She hmph-ed. "So this is the reason for your training, then? To be a mere object of desire for willing women?" she asked, not quite able to hide her embarrassment.

"It very much depends on the woman in question. With some the stares are so much sweeter than with others…" he asserted, hoping that he wasn't going too far.

She turned the tables on him. "Well, since you have been complaining earlier, I undoubtedly fail to fall in that category. I will, in the future, abstain from ever looking at you again, as it apparently pains you." Zelda said coolly.

To his slightly addled brain she acted so well, that only the fact that her hand was still in his betrayed her insincerity. For a moment he had nearly panicked.

As if she'd sensed his brief insecurity, she graced him with a brief roguish grin and a soft squeeze of her hand.

He calmed, but thought 'So that's the way you want to play? Fine!'. He couldn't just let such a challenge go unanswered.

"I would be most grateful. Some young ladies don't seem to know their place on the social ladder." he sniffed dismissively. He liked the complete absurdity of the comment, since she was of _so_ much higher standing than he. But, he thought, inequality can go both ways.

She laughed her genuine, high laugh that seemed let the sun shine brighter whenever it was heard.

"Well, in that case I'll have to painfully hoist you up then. Or, possibly, dig deeeeeep down to whatever depth filth like you calls its home." she retorted, her tongue sharp like a rapier.

Link exhaled sharply, then laughed. For anybody else he would probably be mortally offended. But she hit just the right balance between scalding wit and good-natured humour, so he knew there was no insult meant whatsoever. He had to admit, he loved the way she teased him, always finding the right spots to poke, which she did with deadly accuracy and affectionate, silky smoothness.

A dreadfully appealing combination!

"You little scamp!" he exclaimed, flabbergasted. "If you enter my ditch, I hope you don't plan on leaving again. Once you've been to these dismal depths, you won't be able to turn back."

"Why? Because you will keep dragging me further down?" she asked curiously.

'Time to go all out!' Link thought, without quite thinking it through. What good has thinking done him anyway?

"Possibly, but mostly because you will be so enthralled with what you find that you will cast virtue to the wind and stay gladly." He purred, stopping his pace and so forcing her to look into his impish face.

She returned the look with a healthy mix of scepticism and amusement. With a cooked smile she uttered a dry: "Hmm… that remains very much to be seen!" then turned away and strut forward. Link looked at her beautiful back for a moment, grinning, before following her. 'I am looking forward to every second of it!' he thought to himself.

They arrived at the main garden. Hyrule castle throned on a rather steep hill in the midst of the city. The gardens were at the stronghold's backside, and were nestled atop natural cliffs. The view here was certainly amazing, looking over the sprawling city below. The garden itself, however, was not, in Link's opinion. His mother had always dreamed about seeing the royal gardens, plant-enthusiast that she was, but he doubted that she would have liked it all too much. It was so… designed! Every tree, every bush, every flower was planted to fit some architectural plan. Hardly any shrub was allowed to grow naturally. Link seemed to recall that the odd practice of cutting plants to resemble shapes was called 'topiary'… whatever it was named, he had no liking for it. He hadn't really thought about what to expect, but he was still rather disappointed with this unnatural product. They were standing on the stone-panelled middle lane of the park, overlooking the whole thing. Zelda led him closer to the edge of the cliff, which was of course secured with a hip high stone wall. On the way she halted at a few different trees or flowers and gave a brief but passionate lecture on their origin and, mostly, their uses. Link kept silent, except for the occasional interposed question. He greatly enjoyed listening to her explaining her seemingly extensive knowledge on these plants. She apparently was in her element. Link noticed the occasional stone statue encompassed by hedges, but they seemed of no interest to her as she just walked by without even a glance.

In the end they reached the edge. They both looked at the city with its criss-crossing streets and bustling activity for a long moment. You could her a gentle murmur of people milling about here, with the occasional louder sound like a shrill laugh or the chopping of wood. They took in the impression silently.

Link could tell that Zelda liked this view. She looked upon her city and all its peoples with a proud gentleness. More and more he felt fascinated by this girl and her strength.

After a couple of minutes, Zelda turned around to face back at the park and the castle.

"What do you think?" Zelda asked. Link wasn't sure how to answer. He didn't know how much of the place was Zelda's doing and he certainly didn't want to insult her.

"It's very nice!" he said, sounding about at convincing as if he'd told her the sky was purple. He rallied a bit. "I like the structure of the whole place. It's very orderly."

Zelda looked at him, nodding seriously for a moment, then breaking out in a spluttering giggle. Link didn't quite know what the joke was, but whenever she laughed he couldn't help but feel gleeful himself.

"Your face!" she said breathlessly. "It looked as if you'd just been forced to eat a whole basket of lemons!" She continued giggling, since whenever she looked back at his face another wave overcame her.

When she finally calmed herself again she wiped tears from her eyes. "You really aren't a very proficient liar." she said jauntily.

Link thought about this. "Actually, usually I am. At least with harmless fibs." he answered, pondering.

She gave him a sly smile. "Well, not with me, you're not. I can see right through you." she threatened.

Link had no doubt that she actually could. Zelda seemed much better at reading him than he was at reading her. Strangely, that didn't worry him at all… he found it intriguing!

"But, yes, you've caught me. These gardens feel so… constructed. All naturalness is gone. It's what a stonemason with a sliderule would design if he'd leaned about plants from a book. I am sorry to admit that it is not to my liking." he now said honestly, hoping that she wouldn't be offended.

She just nodded, surveying the park sternly "Neither to mine. This place is kept like this because of tradition only. But!" she said conspiratorially. "There is another place. Come!" she ordered, grabbed his hand and practically dragged him away.

They crossed the entire breadth of the park – thankfully nobody was out _frolicking_ at the moment – and Zelda pulled him through a hedge… somewhere… he had rather lost his sense of direction. Now they were standing in front a flight of stairs, 15 or so, leading downwards. They ended at a rickety wooden gate in a stone arch.

Now this looks mysterious, thought Link.

With a last gleeful grin at him she skipped down the stairs and waited for him at the door. Link didn't hesitate to join her. The wood of the gate was grey with age and it looked as if merely looking at it could get a splinter stuck in your skin.

With a roguish expression, Zelda produced an ancient looking iron key from somewhere in her dress. "I actually nabbed that from the groundskeeper." she confessed, only a tiny bit ashamed. "I don't think he knows to this day where it went."

She carefully unlocked the door, gave the warped wood a kick at the right spot and pushed it open. By the practiced manoeuvre Link could deduce that she came here frequently. This place got more interesting by the minute.

They stepped through. The stairs continued by about ten more steps. Right at the bottom started what appeared to be a virgin forest. Link could barely tell that, long ago, a curved, cobbled path had led through but now it was nearly completely overgrown, with roots bursting through the earth between the stones. Nature had reclaimed this part.

Link could smell the thick aroma of wild woods and it gave him a vivid flashback of home, when he, Ric and Mart would prowl through the forest.

He sighed involuntarily and descended the last steps. He approached the closest tree and gently caressed its gnarled bark. With excited eyes he continued into the thicket along the nearly invisible path. Zelda didn't hesitate, picked up the hem of her dress and followed easily. When the path got a little bit wider he stopped, looked around, then closed his eyes.

He had to smile widely at the flood of impressions, views, sounds, smells. "This is wonderful!" he almost whispered so not to disturb the mood.

Beside him he could hear Zelda exhale. It sounded happy, almost relieved.

"I hoped you'd like it. It's just a small terrace in the rock, but its nearly completely overgrown." she explained excitedly. Then she lowered her gaze a little. "I come here when I need to get away from… myself. I… have never taken anybody here, except Sally. Ever." she mumbled and looked at him with a tiny shy smile.

Link was speechless. Her stunning eyes, just for a moment, had betrayed a lot of sadness. Hers was a world without privacy, without the possibility of being herself to just anyone. She constantly had to be the princess, with all her duties, all her social obligations. Nobody was interested in the girl, it was all about the heir to the throne. This meant perpetual disguise. And loneliness. Possibly… probably the only person she could just be Zelda with was her cousin.

And now him! She had led him to this, her most private place, the location where she wasn't surrounded by expectant nobles or sycophantic supplicants. Here she dropped her defences. Here she could was herself.

And she had invited him to join her.

Link was speechless.

She still looked at him with those bright, trusting eyes, her head held low. He had known her for such a short time, yet she confided in him with this special place so close to her heart.

He slowly stepped closer, with his heart in his throat. He looked down to her magnificent face, bordered by her straight, golden hair. For a second he followed a playful strand dancing in the breeze. With a tiny touch of amusement he noticed by now completely dirty and green-stained hem of her dress. The sounds of the tiny forest around them – the rustle of leaves in the wind and the occasional crackling of critters in the underbrush – were the only things audible apart from their own breaths. He could feel her warmth radiating from her immaculate skin. He could see her crystal blue eyes darting from his own to his mouth and back.

He bent down slightly and took both of her hands in his, smiling softly. He caressed the smooth skin on her palms and, for a moment, regretted that his own were so chafed and rough. He looked back at her anxious face.

Nothing needed to be said. Nothing would do this moment justice.

He took yet another step and felt her dress touching his legs. His heart nearly exploding from nervousness, he closed his eyes and bent down.

Their noses touched, then their lips.

And time stopped.


	22. Chapter 21

2nd attempt to upload because apparently some couldn't see this chapter for whatever reason…

Hey! I apologize for the longer-than-usual wait. I am currently attending a convention and it's taking up most of my time. I think it's safe to expect the next update on Sunday.

Chapter 21

Zelda

She couldn't feel her legs. She barely even felt her hands where he was holding her. It was as if she was floating in pure, white, fluff… The only things that existed were his lips on hers. She felt his tender first touch, shy and cautious. Then his next, hungrier, more secure, nibbling slightly on her lip. It sent jolts of lightning right through her brain.

Her initial shock passed and her heart started beating again.

He was about to draw back again, she felt, but he could forget about that! She squeezed his hands that were still interlocked and pulled herself closer to him. She kissed him fiercely, breathing in his wonderful scent deeply. He responded immediately, pressing back, kissing her with all the more vigour now that she had awoken from her stupor and hungered for more.

Zelda opened her mouth slightly so she could gently nibble on his lips. A tiny, involuntary squeak escaped her throat.

Her head felt so light. Nothing mattered. Nothing in the whole world mattered but the sweet feeling of this one moment, this one kiss.

It was paradise!

She could feel his heartbeat; it seemed to be at the same pace as hers.

He pulled away a tiny bit, allowing them both a moment of air. She felt his nose gently fencing with her own. She gave a small, squeaky giggle and they both went in for more. More of that wonderful, soft feeling. More of his smell that sent exciting shivers down her spine. More of that perfect, blissful, eternal moment.

She felt his left hand leave her hand and gently, carefully wander up towards her shoulder. He did it so slowly, almost hesitantly, as if he was asking her permission for each centimetre.

She felt his thoughts, racing and, at the same time, numb, just like hers. She was mentally connected to him in a way she never thought possible. It was the most exhilarating feeling… It was as if their two conjoined minds egged each other on. It took almost all of his self-restraint to proceed so painfully gingerly. She wanted to give him the permission he sought. Almost everything in her wanted him to continue… almost. If she didn't stop now, she wouldn't be able to.

Stop.

He reacted immediately, as if she had said it aloud. He slowly, tentatively pulled away, allowing her enjoy every last moment of their touching lips and the bitter-sweet feeling when it ended.

Goddesses above, it was hard not to just make another step forward and start anew… but if he could resist, so must she.

Zelda was extremely thankful that she didn't have to even lightly push him. Then again, she strangely hadn't expected anything else from him.

He still had his hand lightly on her shoulder. She didn't mind. She didn't want to lose contact all together. Slowly the sounds of the tiny forest were able to pierce her consciousness again. His clean, electrifying scent mixed the smell of the living wood around. It fit so wonderfully, she doubted she could ever come here again, without thinking of him at once. Smiling softly, she found that she didn't mind that at all…

Slowly, reluctantly, she opened her eyes, unwilling to dispel the perfect illusion they were sharing.

Her vision was blurry at first, but cleared up quickly. She saw him standing in front of her, completely relaxed, his face turned upwards as if enjoying the sun with a little smile.

What could she say?

With a pang of unease she realized she had absolutely no idea what to do or say now that… they had kissed! It had been such a wonderful, earth-shattering experience… what could be said now? What would change? How would they treat each other now? She didn't want to give anything of their rapport up!

She shuffled around, wringing her hands, opening her mouth a few times. Nothing wanted to come out! Goddess, she didn't want to ruin this with something mindless! What would he think of her? Nayru help her, he couldn't make him think that this hadn't meant much to her! It was just so untrue!

Damn it! _What could she say_?!

Before a wave of panic could engulf her, she heard a tiny, guttural hum escape his throat.

"That was beautiful…" he murmured, apparently still lost in his delight.

Zelda blinked a few times. 'That was beautiful…'?!

That had to be the most moronic thing he could have said after such an event… The sheer stupidity combined with the imbecilic look he had on his face…

… started a low giggle. 'That was beautiful…' The giggle grew to a hearty chuckle.

And she thought, she would say something inadequate!

Zelda took another look at his stupid face and exploded with laughing.

Of all the lame things he could have said… but, she could tell, it came straight from his heart… which for some reason made it even funnier.

By now her stomach muscles cramped from laughter.

'That was beautiful…'

Well it was, she had to give him that. And, as she had pondered, what could you say?

She finally got a grip on her hysterical giggling. What could you say?! 'Might as well be something monumentally idiotic!' she thought, grinning like a happy idiot herself.

He was now looking at her, his expression somewhere between great amusement and wondering if she'd completely lost her mind.

She smiled impishly, made a step forward, turned and tucked her arm into Link's.

"It was!" she said, barely controlling another fit. "It truly was…"

He smiled down at her, sideways. By the look on his face, she suspected he knew that she thought him a complete fool. She gave him a grin back that said 'yes, you are! But I _like_ it when you are a complete fool!"

His expression changed ever so slightly and she knew that he'd understood even though not a single word had been uttered. This wordless communication between them fascinated her. When he wanted, she could almost read his mind just by looking into his deep blue eyes. And, apparently, it worked the other way round as well.

Thinking back to the very… carnal thoughts she had _almost_ had when they had kissed… Zelda looked down and away, feeling a furious blush creep onto her face… She would have to be a bit careful with her thoughts, then…

"What are you blushing about, all of a sudden?" he asked with a chuckle.

Of course he'd bloody noticed, him and his bloody sharp eyes!

"Nothing." she mumbled. 'Very convincing!' she chided herself.

"Must be a pretty good nothing, then." he concluded cheekily. But he didn't press her further, for which she was _very_ grateful.

She cleared her throat and tugged lightly on his arm. "Come! I err… actually wanted to show you something else. Before we were interrupted…" she added coyly.

He followed her lead. She was directing them further along the overgrown path. Occasionally it was difficult to fit through the narrow way with them holding on to each other. But right now, letting go simply was not an option.

"There is a distinct possibility that I might cause such an interruption again…" he said, half flirtatious, half shy.

She nodded gravely. "That is disturbing news indeed. What can we possibly do to prevent such a break down in morale?" she asked, shaking her head in mock disappointment.

Link nodded, put his right hand over his heart and lowered his head. "I solemnly swear, on my honour as not-quite-yet-knight that I shall forever abstain!" he intoned seriously.

Zelda's eyes widened at hearing that. She stopped and turned to face him. That had sounded so serious that she truly could not tell whether he was being sincere! He did have a very sober expression. Goddess, had he misunderstood? Had her acted rejection been to forceful? She was about to open her mouth, her face almost fearful, when a devious smile broke through his sternness.

"Why, princess! Why that face? Could it possibly be that it is actually not my honour you want?" he asked mockingly.

For an instant Zelda was speechless. Then her ire rose with the force of a thousand righteous valkyries at his outrageous, teasingly raised eyebrow.

"You… _you_ …!" she hissed. This unbelievable knave! She had worried that she had lead him to misunderstand but he had just wound her up! She was so angry that she boxed him in his ribs.

She might as well have hit a wall for all his reaction, but that only made her angrier!

He quickly dislodged himself from her grip and fled a couple of metres away, still that scum-eating grin on his face.

"Why, how positively scandalous, your highness!" he spluttered, emulating an old chaperone of hers with frightening accuracy.

That mocking eyebrow! She wanted to claw at them in her powerless rage!

She knew he could dance around her and she would never catch him.

With a malicious grin of her own she picked up a handful of the soft dirt and in one swift motion threw it at him. Her accuracy surprised even herself.

Apparently he hadn't expected such heavy artillery. For one immensely delightful moment she saw his face turn from teasing glee to surprise to shock.

He dodged, but not quite. A good portion of earth hit him right in the face. The force of the moist hit actually spun him around.

For a split second Zelda's ravishment turned to fright. Din's fire, hopefully nothing hit him in the eyes!

But after a moment she could already hear him laughing between spitting out her projectile and she could return to her wicked delight.

"Thou hast been smitten, cur. Rescind thy evil ways, or I shall bury thee 'neath yon good earth!" she intoned majestically.

He turned to face her, still bent down from spitting. His face had an almost scarily tickled determination, which even the copious amounts of dirt couldn't cover.

He gently wiped his face once, lowered his hands and slowly, almost gently picked up a large handful of earth himself. His expression now was pure, profound peace.

"The problem with this good earth, my dear…" he uttered carefully. "… is that it cares nought whom it is thrown at, be it cur or royalty." He finished, now finally looking at her again with wild, excited eyes.

With a pang of panic she looked at her white dress, already smudged at the hem.

He wouldn't dare!

"You wouldn't dare!" she breathed.

'Splat' went the dirt against her chest.

He dared.

In utter disbelief, she looked down again. Her dress was considerably less white. She felt her mouth open widely.

"You _swine_!" she yelled. Lost in the confusing gap between fury and great amusement, she scraped the sticky mud off of her and made to throw it right back. This mudlark had the gall to step closer, expose his face with a mocking bow and smile blissfully.

"I'm sure the good earth from your bosom, highness, is as sweet as a lover's kiss." he twittered.

Fighting a losing battle against the rising laughing fit, and now thoroughly reddened, she thought through her options.

Drop the dirt and act dignified? Far, far too late for that nonsense… and too predictable.

Throw it at his face? Give him what he wants? Hmm…

She nonchalantly sauntered over to him. With wet earth in both hands Zelda towered over his bowed body like the goddess of justice, Nayru, herself. And she waited.

She knew he was aware that she stood close enough to slap everything right at his face. Let's see how long you can keep up that infuriating smile without worrying what I'll do next…

The seconds passed. Seeing his face turn slowly from glee to uncertainty to tortured apprehension was quite a delight!

Link opened one eye.

And she struck. One hand on his cheek, one right into his hair. He gave a pressed yelp and tried to jerk back, but she held his head right between her dirty hands and rubbed them all over.

"Get me dirty, will you?!" she hissed.

"Bwuuaaappl!"

"Make my dress muddy, will you?!" she thundered.

"I yield! I yieaarghl!" he yelled, getting another mouthful of earth, courtesy of Zelda's avenging hands of muckiness.

She released him with a pleased grin and enjoyed watching him try to process what on earth had just happened. She wiped her hands off at her dress. It really didn't matter anymore.

When he had finally spat out the entire healthy dose of humility she had administered he stood with his hands on his knees, panting.

He looked up at her with sparkling eyes and a fascinated smile. "Why princess! How utterly wicked you can be!"

His face was caked in mud, so his glinting eyes and flawless teeth shone all the brighter. The carefully fashioned expression of righteous harshness melted from Zelda's face and an unbidden smile broke through.

"I hope you've learned your lesson! Or I might have to show you just how terrible I can be if it strikes my fancy." she threatened, attempting to put as much sincerity into her words as possible.

He stood up straight once again, combed his fingers through his hair, pulled out half a garden full of dirt, inspected it in his hand and made a dissatisfied face.

Then he smiled clever little smile in her direction. "Could it be that, in my endeavour to pull you down into 'whatever pit filth like me calls his home', as it were, I am starting to be successful?"

She reddened slightly. This time mostly from embarrassment. She had said that, hadn't she? That really sounded nasty… way beyond any good taste. This wonder of a boy didn't seem to care though. He had just taken it in stride, knowing her harmless intention behind the crude words. Thank the goddess. She certainly, definitely did not want to insult him with something as utterly offensive as social class. Still, in the future she would wanted to better control her sharp tongue… a bit.

"A disquieting thought." she said, smiling softly again. She stepped closer, reached up and pulled a particularly large lump from his hair. He lowered his head and just looked at her amusedly as she dislodged a few more clots and threw them to the ground. "But I'm afraid you are not too far from the truth." she concluded. His eyes still sparkled in this enchanting way…

'Don't get weak now, he's got dirt all over!' one part of her said.

'Who cares? Look at your dress!' another answered.

"Come." She said aloud. "And no more interruptions!" she added slyly.

After another 3 minutes of fighting through near-jungle they emerged onto a little clearing. The cobbles were less under- and overgrown and right in the middle stood a round stone basin. In the middle, on a pedestal, stood Nayru, the goddess of wisdom and knowledge, her hands presented to the sky. From her metal palms welled water, streamed through her fingers and fell into the basin. Even though everything around seemed so old that nature had claimed it back, the fountain and especially the man-high depiction of the goddess looked untouched by time. The water in the basin was crystal clear. It reflected the pink and orange clouds of the evening sky. The soft murmur of the falling water was dampened by the close plant life, creating a calming, quiet serenity around the whole place. The air smelled of spring water with the aromatic scent of the forest as basis.

Zelda watched Link look around, fascinated. He looked at the bluish statue from all sides, reached forward to touch the water she gave with open hands. He cupped his hand, brought it to his mouth and closed his eyes. He clearly enjoyed the taste, she could see it.

"What is this place? It's so… tranquil…" he said, still looking around with a wistful smile playing on his lips.

She knew he'd like it, at least since she saw his adorable reaction to her little forest. "I love it here. This is truly my sanctuary, the one place where I can come and simply be. No doubting, no worrying… no thinking."

Even now, with him here, Zelda did not feel the peace disturbed, not even slightly. She closed her eyes, breathing in, opening herself to the magic of the location. She could sense that he enjoyed the same feeling of comfort that she had experienced when she first discovered this place. She grew assured that her decision to show all this to him was the right one. When relief flooded her and seemed to lift her off the ground, she realized how nervous about this choice she had really been.

She felt his gaze on her. Even with her eyes closed, she conceived so much warmth, so much affection from him.

Zelda opened her eyes and looked back at him. She frowned. The grubby state of his entire head rather spoiled the mood…

'And whose fault is that?' she asked herself, grumbling.

Sighing slightly, she sat down on the rim of the basin and began to wash her hands. After an inviting look, he joined her.

He wiped his face clean of dirt, then stopped as if he just thought of something. He looked at her with a rather lost expression.

"Errr… may I, you know… wash my hair also?" he asked bashfully.

The helpless look on his appealing features was irresistibly cute. She giggled at how this scoundrel of a boy, so incredibly cheeky just minutes ago, was now almost timid since he realized what this place meant to her. She leaned over, placed her hand on his cheek and gave him a short but sweet kiss. Zelda thoroughly enjoyed the look of bafflement on his handsome face. "I'll help you, silly!"

Her hand still holding his cheek she gently steered him lower above the water. He knelt down in front of the basin and she got to work. The first splash of cold water she splashed over his head made him splutter. Strand for strand she cleaned his hair of mud, taking care not to tear too hard and making sure to sprinkle a few caresses into the process.

"I like your hair…" she said absentmindedly.

Link gave a soft grunt, as if he had been close to falling asleep. "Sir Alistair advised to cut it short. Said it might get in the way."

"Absolutely not! Your hair stays!" she said forcefully. He looked good with longish hair. She couldn't imagine him having a soldier's haircut. She enjoyed the way it swayed slightly in the wind and the little movements he did to comb it back out of his face were adorable. No chance that's coming off!

He gave a soft chuckle. Once again he seemed to understand more than he had any right to.

"Don't you laugh! You are a knight now. You belong to me and so does your hair. You don't get to decide its length!" she growled.

"I belong to you, do I?" he asked, turning his head slightly so he could focus on her with one eye and grinning teasingly.

'Of course he would choose to only hear that.' she thought with an internal grin. 'Which is good, because that's why I said it.'

Outward she made an impatient face and poked his cheek with her fingers until he turned back. She was done anyway, but, she admitted to herself, she rather liked playing with his head and giving him a bit of a massage as the same time.

"Of course! I made you a knight, so you are bound to me." she teased, keeping her expression and voice deliberately serious.

A few moments passed. Long enough that she, once more, wasn't entirely sure that her playful intention hadn't been lost in her acting.

He turned again and raised his head a little. "Hmmm. I'm afraid I have to disappoint you on that front." He stated, his face thoughtful.

"What do you mean?" Zelda asked, taking her hands from his hair, worried slightly.

He sat up completely and with a swift motion stroked his hair backwards. "You see… I previously swore on my honour that I would forever abstain from causing another… interruption." A sly grin broke through his ponderous features.

Her face mimicked his, unbidden. She had a suspicion where this was going.

"Well, I have to admit that I fully intend to break that immensely stupid oath into a million tiny pieces. So, it would seem my honour is forfeit." he concluded.

"So it would seem." she muttered in mock reflectiveness. "I certainly see the problem. And it is a grave one indeed! There can be no chivalry without honour!" she looked up, wide eyed, as if in sudden, startled realization.

"Who needs chivalry?" he said and acted dismissively. Then he looked back at her eyes and she could see a bit of colour rising on his cheeks. "I believe I have something far more important than chivalry." Link said softly. She looked into those big blue eyes. There was no deviousness in them now. Only honesty and trust.

And hope. Even though it was such a corny line, at the sight of this true light shining in these eyes, all the mocking answers she had withered away in a flood of emotion.

She could lose herself in those eyes… and found that she wouldn't really mind doing so. His small, heartfelt, innocent smile made her feel all soft and mushy.

She took his left hand in both of hers and smiled back at him with the same open trust.

"Do you want to know the craziest part?" she whispered. She giggled slightly and closed her eyes. "I believe so too."


	23. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

Zelda

She couldn't say how long they had lain on the broad stone rim of the basin. Head to head, unspeaking, eyes closed, simply at peace. Multiple times she had heard his breathing slow when he nearly fell asleep. She would have let him, of course, she could see how tired he truly was. But he always brought himself back from the brink, simply to continue to enjoy this evening with her, which made her brain go completely mushy. Zelda loved the gentle murmur of the water, feeling his hair lightly brush against hers and, most of all, the absence of any bothersome thought.

When they had finally decided that they should make their way back, the sky was already dark. By the time they had fought their way back to the wooden gate it was night. For a while they had stood around after she had locked the little portal again. Neither of them really knew how to say goodbye after this afternoon and, unsurprisingly, neither of them wanted to. That beautiful boy, who could be so strong and full of wit, was shuffling around awkwardly, looking for appropriate words. Zelda knew, she wasn't faring any better. Torn between wanting to stay close and looking for some distance to put her thoughts in order…

"Tomorrow?" it finally broke out of him, as if he had carried that question until it burned his flesh. She was thankful that he'd asked. Otherwise she would have had to…

"We'll see…" Zelda purred coquettishly.

He gave her a look. She could see that he was awake by sheer force of will, so she relented and stopped teasing.

"Tomorrow. Same time." She whispered, flushing slightly.

He gave a contented grunt.

Waiting…

'Goddess, did she have to do everything around here?!' she thought, amused. She took a bashful step forward and gave him a peck on the cheek. That seemed to wake him from his torpor somewhat.

"The rest tomorrow, sleepyhead. Now to bed with you!" she commanded, smiling.

The moon provided enough light for her to see his exhausted grin. "Aye, your highnessness…ness!" he mumbled. She almost felt his hope for another little kiss when he slowly, hesitantly turned to leave under her grinning supervision. Good! 'Let's hope he won't be too… eager tomorrow…' she mused, very unladylike thoughts suddenly bumping her conscious. Thank Nayru he was already turned around… she was almost certain that the redness currently radiating on her face would be able to light the night crimson.

As she made her way back to and through the castle, Zelda was immensely thankful for the dark. Even with all her knowledge of the fortress' rat runs, the last few metres up the stairs and to her chambers were in clear sight of altogether too many guards. In the dark, if she was quick, they wouldn't see how utterly dirty her dress was. She hoped…

She forced herself to stride normally up the steps, even though she wanted to sneak from shadow to shadow. If any of the royal guards wondered about the peculiar new design on her garb, they didn't stir or ask questions.

Zelda opened the door to her chambers, very quietly so not to wake any of the maids that had their tiny rooms adjacent, and snuck in.

The few candles that her servants had left for light whenever she should return gave her bedroom a slightly gloomy colour.

She was about to shed her spoilt dress when suddenly…

"So, how was it?!" Sally whispered urgently.

Zelda nearly gave a shriek of surprise, but controlled it at the last moment by clapping her own hand in front of her mouth. Of course her nosy cousin would be here! If her thinking had been straight she wouldn't have been so caught off guard… Her mind, however, had still been rather busy with discussing in detail how exquisite a certain young Hylian had looked with wet hair.

Saria seemed a little shocked herself. "Sorry, Zelda, I didn't mean to startle you!" she said, wide eyed. Then her eyes wandered down to her dirt smeared garb. In her imp-like face played first a scherzo of confusion, then a thunderous crescendo of shock.

"You didn't!" she only squeaked.

Zelda looked down on herself, bemused. It's only a dress! What was Sally's prob… Princess Zelda, returning from a date with Link, clad in a dress that looked like they had rolled in dirt. It even had muddy handprints on it…

The implications one could very reasonably make hit her like a ton of rock.

Holy… sugar!

"No! Nononono we didn't! We did not! We weren't… we haven't… we…" she stammered, feeling both hot and cold.

"You are being a tad unconvincing…" Sally whispered carefully.

Zelda knew that, even if anything had happened, her cousin would take the knowledge to her grave. But still… if even mischievous little Saria, who had a keen interest in anything relating even slightly to boys, was clearly shocked, there was some explaining to do.

Goddess, how had she not realized how she looked? She must make a sight of someone who was dragged behind a bush and… well…

Holy trio, thank you for the unerring unwatchfulness of guards! Not only she would have been in immense trouble, but also Link! Now that she thought about it, he would be in trouble a thousand times over!

"Listen to me! Nothing of that sort happened. I swear it on the holy three, I swear it by fire, water and air!" The expression in her eyes must have looked sufficiently serious, for Sally backed off instantly.

"You don't need to swear to me, Zelda, I believe you! But goddess above, girl! Do you have any idea how you look? If I was your father, seeing you like that, I'd think about castrating every man in the castle!" she hissed, still utterly disbelieving.

"I just realized, thank you! I wasn't thinking!" Zelda whispered urgently, pulling the corpus delicti over her head in one swift motion and dropping it to the floor as if it threatened to catch fire.

"Weren't thinking, I can see that! That good, was he?" that insufferable imp giggled, switching effortlessly from outrage to ribaldry.

"Sally!" Zelda growled. Right now she was not in the mood for this type of joke. If any of the guards had looked closer, damn, if she had just happened to bump into _anyone_ while traversing the castle… not with all her charisma could she have stopped them from basically sounding the alarm. This had been entirely too close to catastrophe, for both of them, because of her stupidity.

"Sorry." Her cousin apologized. "We need to get that thing washed. Or destroyed. Dress and grab your satchel! We're just two studious girls, off for a quiet midnight read at the library, right?"

Zelda nodded. The sudden, dangerous realization had blasted any tiredness she might have had out of her head anyway. Might as well go for a quiet midnight washing adventure!

Thank goodness for Sally's quick wits. She would have been too flabbergasted to react prudently right now. She would have probably tried to wash it in her bathtub, making a lot of unavoidable splashes that would have awoken her maids.

Not a minute later the two girls, armed with a candle and their satchels, walked off towards the library, chatting animatedly about whatever sounded appropriately scholarly. Thankfully the laundry was close, so they would raise hardly any suspicion. The whole way Zelda's head swam with horror scenarios of what would have happened if anyone had seen her. Her heart pounded in her throat. At every turn she expected to see an honourable knight stop them and demand to look inside her bag. An absurd thought, surely, but her head was currently not within the realm of reason. After they had passed a patrol of two guards, whose salutes gave her a fright, they darted around the corner and snuck into the laundry. Zelda's relief at finding the place dark and deserted made her feel light-headed.

Sally got to work immediately, opening her dazed cousin's pouch, taking exhibit A and tossing it into the nearest trough. Zelda snapped out of her trance, got down to her knees and started to scrub the stricken dress. Sally produced another brush and more soap and got to work on the other end.

After a while of concentrated scrubbing she piped up again. "So, apart from that little intermezzo, how was your evening?" she asked sweetly.

Zelda was grateful for the distraction. And, naturally, she itched to share her exploits with her best friend. Some of it, at least.

'Gossiping like washerwomen...' she thought, amused.

Where to start?!

"Well, you won't have to smash our faces together, as it were." She had tried to sound nonchalant about it but… well, damn it, it had been her first kiss! Of course it blubbered out of her as if she had had it on her tongue for ages! The light and fluttery feeling in her chest returned for a pleasant encore at the thought of the wonderful way his lips had touched hers. She felt very warm in her face…

"I knew it! The way you two looked at each other when we met was damn near nauseating…" Pause. Sigh. "Awww I'm so jealous!" she mumbled, clearly torn between being cynical and sincere. "How was it?" she asked, her brown eyes sparkling with eager excitement.

Zelda giggled like a maniac. The relief at having safely eliminated the threat of the dress, paired with her cousin's cute curiosity, made her relive the emotional flight of fancy the day had brought. She remembered feeling his nose against hers, hearing his jerky breathing, smelling his scent that filled her knees with jelly. She remembered feeling his heartbeat as clearly as her own, sharing in that moment so much more than simple closeness. So many racing emotions, two minds at high alert, yet still forming one calm together.

Sally's shoulder bumped into hers, tearing her away from her sweet daydreaming. "Less fawning, more talking!" she ordered in her best governess-voice.

"It was… beautiful." Zelda said, remembering the idiotic line, trying her hardest not to burst out laughing again. She failed.

"Dear goddess, do I need to dump you into the trough to cool you down? What's that supposed to mean, 'It was beautiful'?!" she huffed, flicking a few drops of water in her cousin's face.

"Hey! None of that!" she threatened, but then mellowed and continued her deliberations.

"It was… you know how you sometimes wonder how your first kiss would feel? How you would think it would come as some sort of grand gesture? How you'd be certain that it would change your whole world?" she mused.

Saria made a face. "A few times a day, honey. And?"

"Poppycock. We were standing in the wild garden, up to our hips in bramble, I was saying something I can't even remember and it just happened. He walked up to me, took my hands and there we were. Simple as that. And it couldn't have been more wonderful. I think, in the end, we didn't just wait for the perfect moment… we created it. And I'd say we can create it again, as often as we want…" Zelda pondered aloud, having stopped her scrubbing as she was lost in thought. She found back to the present, turned to face Sally and grinned at her open-mouthed face of surprise.

"Apparently kissing also turns you into a philosopher. I knew there was a catch! The horror!" she shook herself in mock disgust. Then she fell silent for a minute. Zelda watched her, her features, usually twisted in some sort of sneer, now uncharacteristically serene.

"It does sound wonderful… is he a good kisser?" she asked, once again full of eagerness. That girl can give you emotional whiplash…

"What would I base the comparison on?" the princess asked dryly.

"Kenrick of house Jormund." Sally said without skipping a beat, her face perfectly emotionless.

Zelda rolled her eyes. "We were eight! And, if I recall correctly, you kissed him too. But, if you insist on an answer, yes! Link is a better kisser than an eight year old. I didn't feel my legs for at least half an hour." she added, giggling slightly to herself.

They were done with the dress. It wasn't spotless, but now it didn't look as if a crime had taken place around it. 'It looks like most of my white dresses after I've worn them.' Zelda thought with a pang of guilt. How many hours had these women scrubbed their tomboy-princess' dirty clothes?

Sally gave a sigh. "Well, we'll see how my date tomorrow goes. Pray that your lover-boy doesn't forget to tell his friend, or a filthy dress will be the closest you two ever get to the actual thing." she growled menacingly.

Zelda liked the idea of that 1 ½ metre gnome going up against her 'lover-boy'. She could certainly nag him to death…

Instead of doing anything to dignify her remark she just went over and hugged her. "Thank you so much for your prompt help! And I hope your date goes at least as well as mine!" she murmured into her ear, rocking the smaller girl slightly.

"I think, I will attempt to abstain from any physical activities that require a midnight excursion to the laundry." she said pertly, hugging her back.

Zelda sighed. "I assume I will never live this down, will I?" she asked with a defeated chuckle.

"Not as long as either of us breathes, love!"

After Zelda had returned to her chambers, hung up the dress to dry and had herself a quick cat bath, the stress that had kept her running had evaporated and had left her exhausted. But happy.

As soon as her head had touched her pillow she fell asleep. She couldn't remember what exactly she had dreamt, but it hadn't been as pleasant as she would have hoped. The only thing she remembered clearly was the polite but urgent knocking on her door. It felt as if she had only slept for five minutes before she was so rudely awakened once again.

"Yes?" she asked drowsily. The room was oddly dark… she looked at the window. It was still night! Who would knock on her door at this hour?

One of her younger maids entered, looking half asleep herself.

"Beg your pardon, my lady, but one of the royal guardsmen has come. The king has requested your presence in the map room."

Zelda wouldn't waste any time asking stupid questions like "Now?" or "Why?". If her father asked her to come to the room where war strategies were plotted with his generals in the dead of night, it was urgent.

Suddenly wide awake again through the power of curiosity and worry she swung her legs out of bed.

The maid started bustling around her, dressing her diligently yet quickly in an appropriate dressing gown. She also quickly bound her hair to a loose braid, so it would stand on end. Zelda hated being fussed over like this, but this way was quicker than doing it all by herself. Two minutes later she was already out, being escorted by the royal guard.

Immediately upon entering the map room, she could feel the tense atmosphere. Her father and Sir Alistair were poring over a map of Gerudo Valley with the adjacent desert to the south; a province of their large country, though frequently troublesome. The warlike Gerudo had caused more than one international incident in history… What could have happened now?

"Your majesty." Sir Alistair greeted her warmly. This caused her father to look up from the map and focus on her. "Excuse the hour, Zelda, but this will be important, I fear. We are only waiting for the Gerudo ambassador." he mumbled.

"What has happened?" she asked, alarmed.

"She sent a runner fifteen minutes ago, telling us that she had received word of an emergency from Saqqara. Apparently they are under attack."

"By whom? Were there any signs of provocation in the last weeks?" Zelda wanted to know.

"None that we know of. But as we all know, our friends from the red sands don't tell us all we would know." her father scoffed.

"Last month's report from the garrison did not mention any border disputes, nor any civil unrest. Apparently Saqqara has sent riders asking for aid. With enough horses they could travel here in about two weeks." the blademaster rasped.

This was certainly worrying. But somehow Zelda felt that there was more to this. "Do you suspect that this attack is linked to those that were aimed for me?" she asked plainly.

The king looked back at her, his face hard. "I must fear so. It would be a very odd coincidence otherwise. But if it is not, I still want you here for your way around truth and lie. If I assemble my army, I must be sure that the ambassador speaks the truth."

He doesn't want me here so I might learn something, or simply because I am his heir, Zelda noticed, discontented. She didn't say anything, however. Now certainly was not the time.

Only a few seconds passed before Shahi of Saqqara, the Gerudo ambassador was announced. Zelda had always been rather fascinated by the woman. She was extremely tall, towering over most men, thin as a stick but with wiry muscles rippling under her dark skin. Her hair was slowly turning to white and she always wore it in complex topiary-like hairdos.

"Strength and honour be with this house." she announced the official Gerudo greeting of a guest.

"May you find peace and a warm hearth for the night." the king, slightly gruff.

"My liege, forgive the lateness of the hour, but I would not have called for this meeting if I hadn't been certain. The request for aid the riders have brought me not two hours ago has Sha'ira's seal and signature." she spoke quickly, clearly alarmed.

Zelda knew that she and Sha'ira, the current military leader of the Gerudo, and the ambassador were half sisters. In a society where men are so scarce they have to basically import them, it is no rarity that one mother might have several children, all from different 'voe'. Although apparently, if you can believe the stories of men bragging about their conquests, once a male is accepted as future father, he has quite a lot of rather… hungry Gerudo to deal with. This rumour is certainly very profitable for the dark-skinned warrioresses, as it provides them with a lot of male-dominated tourism looking for… fulfilment.

Usually Zelda would have scoffed at such behaviour. Now she stopped herself mid-thought, reviewing the occasional fantasies she'd had over the last few days.

She snapped out of her musings when the king offered her the writ he had been given. Focus, damn it!

The heavy roll of parchment bore a few lines in a grandiose hand. It described that dozens of refugees from the two southernmost oases had flooded Saqqara. These people spoke of nightly raids destroying their homesteads.

A vision snapped into her mind with sudden force. Close to a hundred women, Gerudos mostly, being treated in a large hall, looking emaciated from their hasty flight through the merciless desert. Many stared with stony, empty gazes at nothing, even when helpers offered them water. Whatever these people had seen, they had caught a glimpse of hell. Zelda caught a glimpse of a stone faced woman, clutching her weakly bawling baby, unable to wrest herself from her stupor to provide for the child. The few warrioresses that had escorted the refugees through their harrowing escape were talking animatedly to their peers of the main city. They had to flee so suddenly, they hadn't even been able to bring flasks of water and the sands to the south were now a grave to many languished women.

The vision ended abruptly, but Zelda had seen quite enough. She swallowed and looked wide-eyed at her father. By the change in his expression, paling and eyes widening, she could judge how miserable she must look.

She continued reading. The fugitives have unanimously agreed that they had been attacked by monsters, though which kind was less clear. Zelda was blessedly spared a second vision of such disturbing clarity. She only saw a glimpse of the dead of night, vague dark shapes moving within it. They weren't the shadowy miasma she had encountered on the north road… she did see a few distinct moblin-like figures. She heard a faint echo of screaming people and a roaring horde of creatures, she smelled burning wood and ash and fear.

The writ wasn't expressly asking for aid; that would not be like the Gerudo. It only insinuated that they would need additional help to secure and protect all other southern outposts. It was indeed sealed and signed properly, but Zelda had no need of these insignia.

She looked back up at her father and nodded gravely.

"Did the riders say anything else? Any information about the creatures at all?" he asked calmly.

"There was talk of Bokoblins, Moblins, even Lynels… The warriors that stayed to allow the inhabitants to escape were not heard of, it would seem. If we count them, the dead number 211." Shahi was clearly shaken by the news she bore.

"How many fighting men and women at Saqqara?" the king asked gravely.

"400 in the garrison, 250 Gerudo militia." Sir Alistair wheezed.

"Sha'ira will have sent other riders to the larger outposts. We can muster another 500 within a week. We must stop this assault before it consumes more helpless oases!" the ambassador snarled, slightly overstepping the line of courtesy.

Zelda didn't hold it against her, neither did the king. "We do. We have 400 more soldiers at Vasheer outpost. We will send them as immediate reinforcement to Saqqara and send another battalion of less seasoned men from the heartlands to take their place. In the meantime Hyrule will assemble its army." the king planned, looking briefly to Sir Alistair as his chief strategic advisor, who nodded slowly.

Shahi was clearly relieved to hear that. "Thank you, my liege. The Gerudo will do everything in their power to garner information on this threat so we can prepare properly. And we will attempt to slow them in their wake. The desert is still _our_ harsh mother. She will aid us as well." she said grimly, bowed in their traditional fashion and excused herself.

Zelda was deeply worried. A force of monsters, strong enough to overrun two Gerudo villages at nearly the same time… and they had nothing but the panicked descriptions of fleeing people looking over their shoulder. To Zelda it seemed that since the assassination attempts had failed, they were now facing an open attack. She said as much to her father. He looked at her with tired eyes and nodded gravely. "That is my fear also. When destabilizing us from inside didn't work, they chose to bite at us from outside." he grumbled.

"Who are they? What have you found out? I think it's time you told me." she urged.

He was once again poring over his map. "Preciously little. Even less makes sense. I do not wish to divulge half-information and conjecture to you. Suffice it to say I do not think you are in immediate danger." he said with that cold face that Zelda was growing to loathe. He clearly knew something, yet he still refused to tell her.

"This is not just about me any more! 211 dead! You have summoned me to witness this discussion, now you want to shut me out again! We are all under attack! Why…" she stopped mid sentence. A cold shiver ran down her spine. She whipped around.

A tall woman in a dark cloak stood at the door. Sir Alistair reacted instantly. He darted in front of Zelda, pushing her slightly back and had his blade at the intruder's throat before any of them could move a muscle.

"Impa!" the king snarled. "you insolent wretch, how dare you show your face in front of my daughter?"

"I already know her!" Zelda said quickly. "Sir Alistair, she is no enemy!"

She could feel the king's cold rage at her words. "You dared to contact her without my permission?" he spoke with deadly calm.

Impa wasn't moving a muscle. From what Zelda could see from her expression she had not been prepared for the blademaster's instant response.

"I did. As I said I would, many years ago, when the time was right." she said, her voice quiet. "And the time is now right for you to act, king."

"Careful how you speak to me, assassin. Sir Alistair, lower your blade but stay alert." her father commanded. The knight slowly drew his blade away but did not sheath it or relax whatsoever.

"I have come as soon as my spies told me of the attack on the Gerudo. This is clearly the doing of the agents of the Threat. And I find that you have still kept your daughter in the dark. What must happen before you act, king?" she hissed, ignoring the blademaster's angry twitch at her inappropriate tone.

"I am acting, wretch. I will defend my country with my troops and not risk my daughter's life in some phantasmal search for the mystic salvation you promise. I assume your investigations have, once again, turned up nothing?" the king growled with uncharacteristic sarcasm.

"I have told you at our last meeting that both Zelda and the boy should be led to the sword's resting place. I am positive that the temple would reveal information to them that it would keep hidden from us. But you seem ever keen to ignore my counsel, yet keep demanding it." she said reproachfully.

Before Zelda's eyes flashed a glimpse of a domed stone hall, a pedestal… she had seen these images before, after the attack on her life at the arena. This time it continued an instant longer; a sword was stuck through the top of the pedestal… ancient, rusted… then it ended.

Her head was spinning. Her father had known this woman for a long time… and whatever they had plotted had involved her… but her father did not want her to be part of this. He was scared…

"I will not risk my daughter's health, both physical and mental, unless you can provide evidence. Not speculations." he uttered, his voice threatening.

"You yourself stand in the way of evidence, king! I begin to doubt that anything I say would convince you! You risk thousands of lives because you refuse to act the way you should!" Impa was barely able to keep her voice cool now.

Zelda felt like a leaf in a storm, blown this way and that, unable to control her path. What did Impa want her to see? Why didn't he want her to see it, if it was so important? What was that sword in the stone? They were talking over her head as if she wasn't standing in the same room! Once again she was being treated like a jewel, handed from person to person, nothing but a thing to be used. She felt a hot fury rise in her. If she was in the centre of all this, as evidenced by the attempts at her life and the arguing of these two, she would not be shoved around like cattle!

Her father was about to make another scathing remark when she stepped right in between them and, at the top of her lungs screamed "ENOUGH!"

The candle-lit chamber seemed to, for a second get a lot brighter, but it might have just been her imagination. She looked from Impa to her father and back, glaring at their shocked faces.

"Who do you think you are, deciding over my head what to do with me? Both of you will stop this idiotic bickering and –immediately- tell me what this is about!" She yelled, mostly at her father. When he just looked at her, aghast, she roared "Out with it! I will not continue to give you the pleasure of standing by meekly while you dictate my fate. Speak!"

The king actually took a startled step back, which surprised her and let her take back some of her calm. Zelda turned to glare at the Shiekah. "You do not get to tell me where I should be led. Either show me or keep quiet!" she snarled, the she turned back to him. "And you will stop this 'protecting me' nonsense. You have, twice, failed to protect me. It was me and Link Andrésson that ensure that I am still alive. Not! You!" she hissed through gritted teeth. Zelda knew her words would sting her father in the soul, but right now she cared not. She'd had enough of his inaction and empty promises to involve her.

Something bothered her mind… her and Link had saved her once… Impa had mentioned a boy… him? The one who saved her when no-one else could? …that would have to wait for later. Now she wanted to know what it was they kept from her.

Impa bowed before her. "I beg your forgiveness, princess. I did not mean to decide for you. I have spoken out of turn and, in my anger, have offended you. If you wish I will show you the temple I have spoken of. We, Hyrule, the world needs your help. You are a child of fate… if anyone can learn from this place, it would be you." She spoke. More half information and allusions, Zelda thought vexedly. Her father did have a point with this woman… still, she would press the information out of her when she had to.

Zelda looked back at her father. Not for permission, that time had now ended. Simply to hear if he had any reasonable objections.

For once, she could see through him, his façade of calm had cracked beyond repair. He was immensely afraid for her. He felt extreme guilt at not having been able to protect his only child. He wanted to bury himself in shame that he had allowed his daughter to be attacked and nearly killed.

She could not feel sorry for him, not right now. She glared at him, daring him to say anything untoward. She could see him faltering under her gaze. His shoulders slumped and he looked down. He suddenly looked twenty years older.

"I will join you, of course. I will personally show you and tell you anything you wish to know, Zelda. But please, tomorrow. I cannot leave here tonight, I need to oversee the preparation of the army. Allow me to accompany you tomorrow night. I swear I shall no longer stand in the way. I swear it on your mother's grave." he had his face buried in his hand.

Zelda felt her eyes starting to grow wet, seeing her father so defeated. But she would not relent so easily, even if it didn't bring her any satisfaction. She knew at least that he would rather die than lie on her mother's name… and she doubted that another day would make a difference in this.

She forced her eyes to stay dry and her voice to stay stern. "Very well. I will meet both you and Impa here an hour before midnight." she commanded in her most regal tone. She knew she had won, but it brought her no pleasure.

"What of the boy? Link?" asked Impa carefully.

Zelda felt her stomach cramp. So her feeling had been right! An accident that she would meet him the day after the first attack? An accident that he was the one who saved her when all seemed lost? An accident that she… fancied him? It seemed too much of a coincidence. But what would that mean for him?

Her father stirred. "We can not be certain that it is him. Leave the boy out, for now. We cannot be wrong about his identity, or we might destroy his life." he muttered softly.

Zelda felt herself agree. Whatever it was that she would be shown, both her father and Impa were deathly afraid. And she had absolutely no idea what she might do to help. Before she subjected this life that had become so dear to her to such terrifying knowledge, she too wanted to be sure. She just couldn't risk his happiness on a whim.

"I agree. Tomorrow, then. And Impa! I want you to be sure about what you tell me as fact and what as conjecture. Do not doubt that I will know when you embellish or omit." Zelda threatened.

The Shiekah that had sworn her fealty bowed even deeper. "I will do neither. You too have my word."

Zelda felt that this was as good as it was going to get.

"Good. And now I will go to bed. Sir Alistair, please assist my father to the best of my abilities."

"Aye, your highness. Rest assured." he rattled, with an appreciative, even admiring look on his face.

When Zelda had stepped out of the map room the wakefulness she had summoned withered in an instant and tiredness nearly knocked her to her feet. In a way she was thankful… her brain was too exhausted to keep her awake pondering. Tomorrow she'd have a long day ahead of her…


	24. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

Link

Aaah… Muscle hangover… my favourite!

Link slowly, delicately rolled himself out of the bed. As he stood, he tried to carefully stretch all his body parts. His left side was pretty brutal… his right wasn't. That was pure agony. Link drowsily thought about why there was such a side difference and quickly found the answer. He had, for the first time in forever, trained with a shield strapped to his right arm. This half of his body, normally only there for balance, was now complaining about the added stress.

'Serves you right, slackers!' he thought, dryly.

He stepped over to the washing basin in his tiny room and splashed cold water in his face to wake up. When that didn't help he dunked his whole head in. He could feel the overflowing water sprinkle against his naked feet.

The cold water reminded him of the fountain in Zelda's garden… he had to smile. Now that had been a day… and the best part was: he'd get to repeat it! His brain had pretty much shut off when they had said their goodbyes, but the part where she agreed to meet again was burning brightly in his mind.

As his head slowly woke, the memories of their shared evening darted to and fro. He had been spared this cascade of images yesterday, but now they came all the more urgently. Oh goddess, the insufferably stupid things he'd said. And done! He had thrown a sizeable clump of dirt at the white dress of the princess of his country… The thought suddenly made him shudder. What the frigging hell had he been thinking? What evil demons had ridden his mind there? And she… she had just taken it. She hadn't even commented on it! Instead the princess had enacted her excellent revenge on him. What kind of girl was she? If he had done something so monumentally stupid to one of Ord's ladies, they'd have spit acid, stalked off and never spoken to him again!

Link had to giggle dumbly at the warm and fuzzy feeling he got while thinking of getting his head brutally caked with mud. She was just all around fascinating… and thoroughly unpredictable.

And the kiss! …holy hell, that had been… electrifying! For the first second or so he had been sure that she would recoil… but no! None of that! Quite the opposite, actually! She had nearly run him down… After that he could only remember his sense of touch and the fireworks that had sparkled through his brain. Her soft, delicate lips, first so hesitant, then suddenly so fierce. The tiny little sighing sounds she had made whenever she had breathed out… The memory alone got his blood flowing in places where it currently had no business being. Link blushed deeply at this involuntary reaction… oh goddess Nayru, please don't let this happen when I'm with her today! She'll think I'm a complete and utter pervert… or at least more than usual!

With considerable effort he aborted that train of thought before it reached critical mass. He looked outside his window… about seven or half past…

Sir Alistair had ordered him to familiarize himself with the knight's code. Since he was no squire, he was not required to attend the various classes of the academy, like history or battle tactics. But, obviously, that did not excuse him from not knowing these teachings. It only meant that he had to study them himself, instead of them being spoon-fed to him. Link wasn't bothered by that at all. He had free access to the compound's library, he was confident enough to ask the senior knights and most of the lessons truly interested him. Besides… given the average intelligence of squires, almost entirely young noble brats, the topics couldn't possibly be much more complicated than 'how do I polish my armour'. At least not if they expected most of them to pass the curriculum… Should be overall easy studying then!

Link absentmindedly checked the cuts on his right hand's fingers. The bandage he'd had worn yesterday had _somehow_ gotten completely muddy, so he'd removed it. Didn't look like he needed it anymore… The four little wounds were still very visible, but closed with granulation tissue. Unless he went digging in rock Goron-style, he didn't expect them to be a problem.

His shoulder he couldn't see, sadly. It still itched and occasionally, when he made a sudden move, gave a warning sting. He removed his top and, using the little sponge he had been provided, gently rinsed it with water. A bit of twinging, but no where near as bad as when it had been washed the first day. He'd actually prefer a bit of stinging to the incessant itch. It were probably the stitches, that did that… Link rolled his eyes and sighed. Damn, he would have to return to the hospital to get them out, wouldn't he? He shuddered at the image of nurse-dragon his mind conjured up. Her, looming over his back with a wickedly sharp knife, grinning diabolically as she slowly draws closer to his flesh… He doubted that he'd make it out alive if he ever returned to her lair…

Link's stomach demonstrated his ability to growl like a bear. Right. Food first, think later.

Link had been able to scrounge half a loaf of bread and some hard cheese. He had planned to use the time while eating with starting to internalize the knight's codex. But the rough yet tasteless bread had forced such a flash of homesickness on him that he found it difficult to concentrate. He not only missed his mother's heavenly cooking, but for the first time since he got here he just missed his village. This was still the farthest he had ever been from home. And it didn't look like he'd be going back to Ord anytime soon… The vague plan he'd had was win the tournament, then spend a few days in Hyrule city and slowly return back to his acquainted life. A simple plan, so of course it had to become infinitely more complicated. Now he was a knight-aspirant, he was receiving private lessons from a blademaster because the king had some ominous plans for him and, last but certainly not least, there was a girl in his life now. And it was not a girl he could just pack with him on the cart and drive her back to his village… there _might_ be people _might_ have a few objections about that…

He couldn't leave her anyway, not even if he'd wanted to. Link wasn't so arrogant to think that she needed him, but she had very much been attacked and they had no reason to believe that this had been a one-time event. What kind of man would just up and leave for home when a woman was still in danger, even potentially? The thought of abandoning Zelda at this time, or at all for that matter, turned his blood to ice. He could not leave! It would most definitely be unfitting with the chivalry that was expected from him and, more importantly, it would be in absolute conflict with his own morals. Moreover, he thought, blushing slightly, he was beginning to get a bit addicted to her presence. Her stunning face, with that smile that always made his very soul vibrate with excitement, kept flickering through his mind. It was a permanently welcome image, of course, yet still a very, _very_ distracting one.

When Link heard the bell of Trinity temple chime half past eight, he slowly made his way out of the castle and down towards the city proper.

He was a bit reluctant to mention Saria's request to Ricco. He would have greatly enjoyed painting the capital red with his large friend, going to the market, seeing all the different peoples. But he had given a promise and he was intent on keeping it. Besides, Ric had been fully behind him pursuing his quest for the princess. (still an utterly ridiculous notion, Link thought… the only thing more ridiculous was that it seemed to be working!) What kind of friend would he be if he didn't do everything he could to reciprocate the favour?

Even with his head somewhere between the clouds and last evening's pleasures, Link still noticed that something felt off when he passed by the guards watching the main gate. For one, there were too many, almost double the amount he had seen when last he passed through. Secondly they looked tense. Not the sleeping-with-eyes-open-bored look of watchmen everywhere, but an anxious, distrustful gaze met Link when he was about to pass through. He actually felt his skin crawl a little under their scrutiny. With sudden unease he realized that something must have happened. For a second he wondered whether he should try to ask the guards outright, but then decided against it. He did not yet have his badge identifying him as knight-aspirant and they looked suspicious enough that they might react warily to his probing. If whatever had occurred was so troubling, he had no doubt he could find out in the streets of Hyrule. And, if all else failed, he could simply ask Sir Alistair later today.

Link made his way to the arena compound. The air of apprehension he had felt with the watchmen had found its way to the streets as well. He could see the men work a little more frantically, noticed the quickened gait of the people going about their business and heard and saw the slightly forced quality in every laugh and smile. Unsettling… it was just like it had been in Ord when news had reached them of Bokoblin attacks a few towns over. Link hadn't been to the city since the attack at the arena. Was the current unease still the echo of that tragic event? Or was it some new worry?

Link entered the compound and nearly crashed headfirst into Ricco.

"Whoa there! You know I rarely am overlooked, huge bugger that I am… everything alright?" he boomed, chuckling.

Link grinned, thankful that he had been knocked away from his endless pondering. Ricco had always had a contagious energy about him.

"Everything alright, no longer in risk of death in that horrible hospital of horror. I was just lost in thought…" Link answered, slightly subdued.

Ric nodded gravely, all levity suddenly gone. "Makes you think, doesn't it?" he mumbled.

"What does?" Link asked, now profoundly worried. This was not an expression he wanted to see on his friend, whose good humour was rarely impacted.

He looked at him, surprised. "Haven't you heard? The king has made the call to assemble the army! The people say we might be at war, though nobody knows against whom. They're all throwing speculations around. Though if I have to choose whom to believe, I'd go with the mad old crock I saw today, who was toothlessly shouting 'It's the Gorons, I tell you!', waving his stick around as if warding them off already." he finished with a crooked smile.

Link's eyes went wide. "I haven't heard…" he muttered, disbelieving. Now that he thought about it, the knight's compound had seemed rather less populated than usual.

With a flash of panic he wondered whether he was expected somewhere and nobody had told him… Well, nobody had told him, so they couldn't expect him to be somewhere, he answered his own thoughts rationally.

But war? The assembling of the fighting force was troubling news indeed. Link could only think of two possibilities, why the king had given the call to arms. One, there had been an attack from outside and Hyrule needed to react, or two, the king's informants had found out who was behind the assault on the princess' life and he had chosen to go to war over it.

"When was the call? Where is will the army go? What have you heard?" Link asked in rapid succession.

Ricco shrugged, showing that he had no idea. "I'd have hoped you would shed some light. What have I allowed you to play at being a knight for, anyway?" he questioned, raising his arms in mock exasperation.

Link was immensely thankful that Ric was still under 16 years of age, or they might have conscripted him too. But what about him? Did his being underage have any impact, now that he was part of the body of knights? Would he have to go to a front? Goddess damn it, whenever he thought it couldn't reasonably get more complicated…

"Surprisingly, I have not heard anything! I was so lost in thought because I noticed the change in atmosphere around… and, well, other things. Let's talk while walking, come!" Link beckoned.

His big friend followed suit. "There is a lot or worrying in the air, true. I am actually surprised! I didn't really expect you to be able to come today. I thought you'd be, I don't know, being drafted? Damn it, I hope you don't actually have to participate in whatever madness this turns out to be… who's going to be my training dummy when you're gone?" he rumbled.

Link put on a weak smile. He could tell Ric was trying his best to restore some levity to the situation, but, unsurprisingly, his jokes felt rather feeble. Still, he greatly appreciated the effort.

Thinking of effort: Girls!

"Oh by the way, Ric! Here's something to cheer you right up." Link could feel a genuine grin play around his lips.

"Remember the young lady that was with Zelda that, frighteningly, didn't run away at your terrible jests?"

Ricco's face lit up considerably and he scratched his chin in what he thought would be a thoughtful way. "Indeed I do! She was certainly a sight for sore eyes after having spent day after day with only you as company." he mused. Then he gazed interestedly at Link again. "And by the way: Zelda? On first-name terms are we?" he asked astutely.

'Goddess be with me!' Link thought, making a face. 'Nothing gets past this guy.'

…where to even begin? The whole thing still seemed too fairytale even to him.

"I'll tell you later, you insufferably nosy miscreant. First let me give you the good news, against my better judgement. She also remembers you!" Link said ominously, wanting to savour the big guy's reaction.

"Well I certainly expect so!" Ric boasted as if it was a matter of course. "Who could forget someone as… unique as me?"

Link chuckled softly at his friend's choice of words. "Unique indeed. Did the word 'horrendous' slip your memory?"

"Not 'unique', you dreadful linguistic simpleton! I said… unique!" Ric emphasized dramatically, taking great care to pronounce the '…'

"The little pause makes all the difference, as it makes it sound even worse!" he chuckled in his deep voice.

Link laughed and felt some of the pressure he had felt be released.

"Well, Saria seemed to be attracted to your… unique charm. She has asked me to set up a little meeting between the two of you." he said, grinning in anticipation.

This time, Ricco seemed genuinely astonished. He opened his mouth to say something, but then closed it again to think.

"You know, if this is a joke, it is not a very tasteful one…" he said guardedly. Link looked at him. The poor big boy looked so uncertain all of a sudden, as if on one hand trusting Link completely, but on the other hand unable to believe it. The blonde lad gave a brief laugh. This was certainly not a Ricco you saw often. "It is not a joke, brother. You know I wouldn't joke this shamelessly. She really did ask me to bring you. But if you'd rather spend time with such a boring, bothersome acquaintance like me, just say the word. In fact, I think I'm just going to tell her that you're not interested! Back in a jiffy!" Link yelled and ran a few steps before he heard Ric's cry of protest.

"Come back here this instant you insufferable bastard. Don't you dare!" he roared, caught between outrage and laughter.

Link cackled at his big friend until he had caught up. "Change of heart, Riccy?" he asked sweetly.

"You, sir, are scum!" he said breathlessly. Then he showed a wide grin. "Certainly an enticing turn of events! I'd have preferred my love-fairy be a bit more appealing, but even a sack of dirt like you can't stand in the way of such pure, young love!" he twittered.

Link snorted with laughter. "You and Sally and 'pure'? You two seem like the dirtiest people to ever pollute the face of Hyrule!" he chuckled.

"A perfect fit then! What manner of self-proclaimed good could ever hope to stand against such combined wretchedness?!" he thundered, clearly exalted.

"Come!" Link urged. "If she has to wait for too long, I'm afraid she might actually turn into a Lynel and bite my head off."

"She sounds more intriguing by the minute!"

They walked in silence for a minute, Ric clearly torn between the thrill of anticipation and nervousness.

Then Ricco spoke up again, loud as ever. "So, what news about you and the pr…"

Link boxed him none too softly in the side. "Shhh! You dolt!" he hissed, looking around furtively.

"What?!" Ricco asked, rubbing his ribs. "I was speaking normally!"

"Your 'normally' is enough to wake a Goron under a mountain, you big Hinox! I don't want her to… you know… have to feel ashamed." he finished weakly. More complicated situations seemed to loom on the horizon, now that he thought about it.

Ric rumbled thoughtfully. "You know, I did actually read up on that topic once. The princess can, in fact, marry a knight and it wouldn't technically be considered breaching class barriers…" he muttered.

Link perked up at hearing this. "Seriously? That seems… unusual. I can't imagine that is actually lived, though. And why in the hell would you know this anyway?" he asked, wondering.

His large friend actually turned slightly red. "A boy used to dream…" he said sheepishly. Then he turned back to his smaller friend. "And other boys just have sheer luck."

Link couldn't deny it. He had to think of her breathtaking smile again… 'Sheer, dumb luck indeed!' he thought smiling softly.

While they were walking, Link described Sir Alistair's training ("Dear goddess, now you're going to get even better and be even more smug about it!") and a very careful, restrained few bits of his date with Zelda. Even though Ric was usually jesting and joking at every turn, Link was still bashfully interested in what he had to say about how he saw the situation. Surprisingly, Ricco was refraining from being overly 'entertaining'. He scratched his chin thoughtfully. "I'd say it's obvious that you two are falling for each other, based on what you've told me. Don't make it more complicated than it needs to be. It'll just work, you'll see!" he rumbled, ponderous.

But it wouldn't be Ricco if he'd just leave it at a serious note. He quickly grabbed Link, pulled him close with one strong arm and gave him one of his feared noogies. "My little Linky-boy!" he roared boisterously, giving everybody in the street a start. "All grown up and chasing his woman! It brings a tear to my eye!"

Link struggled to free himself, but Ric let him go after a few seconds anyway. "Aaargh!" he aaarghed, rubbing his violated head. It hurt as if all his hair had been pulled out in one brutal yank. Hopefully it only felt like that, or Zelda would probably kill him…

They reached the main gate again. Link hoped they would even be let inside with the general air of alarm being felt everywhere.

Thankfully he could already see Sally standing about impatiently. The watchman at the gate was still the same one as before. He seemed to recognize Link, nodded briefly and let them through without any problems.

The small girl stalked up to the two boys, drew herself to her full height (hardly worth mentioning) and pointed right at Link's nose accusingly. "You… are late!" she huffed. Link could once again see her slightly flushed cheeks and understood this performance as just that. "I assume you were expecting us to fly, then. Sorry, this might be an ability only found within nobility." he teased.

"Yes, they let fly at insolent little whelps that don't do what they're told." she replied with a crooked smirk.

Link stepped aside with a mocking bow and said: "Ricco, all yours. I hope you know what you're getting yourself into."

His big friend stepped forward, flushed, but with a wide, toothy grin on his face. "Don't worry! I think I might be just in my element!" he rumbled.

Saria's smile widened coquettishly and poked him in his stomach. "I am not food, chunky!" she exclaimed.

He turned his expression to wide-eyed shock. "Truly?! What business do you have looking so delicious, then? Do you mean to torment me, woman?!" he spluttered in mock outrage.

Link could hardly control himself. A date between these two might just be the most hilarious event to witness in one's lifetime. Or the most jarring…

"I'll get right back to you, my burly victim." she purred, then turned to Link again. "Thank you. I think I like this one!" she said as if Ric wasn't standing right next to them. "But I wanted to ask you another thing, since you're already all lovey-dovey with my cousin. Good work, by the way!" she whispered the last sentence, gave him a wink and a smile.

"What is it?" Link asked, most interested.

"Zelda seemed really downhearted today…" Saria said, suddenly very serious and sad. "I know she was at the emergency meeting yesterday night. I'm afraid I don't know the details and I didn't want to ask her. She seemed very bothered by something and she is just sitting around with that worried look on her face. Do you think you could…" she stopped, apparently unsure how to word her request.

"We planned to meet at the same time as yesterday, if that's what you wish to know. To take her mind off of politics and war, is that what you mean to ask?" he softly questioned.

Her face lighted up a little. "Well, you're certainly not wasting time, are you?"

Link grinned, colouring slightly. "Last time you seemed to insinuate that we are already paining you with our slowness, if I recall correctly." he chuckled.

Sally gave a sly smile. "Truer words have never been spoken… by me. Still, in all sincerity, I would be really grateful if you would just, you know… make her forget all this, even for a few hours. Zelda is… very serious about her duty and… I'm afraid it might consume her, if she… well…"

Link could see how much it bothered the small girl that her cousin was troubled. With all her potential for scathing, downright evil wit, this was a deeply caring young woman. No wonder, if she was related to Zelda…

"I promise you, I will do what I can." he announced seriously. Suddenly, he had an idea. It was extremely stupid, no normal girl would ever even consider it, but that's why it might just work. Link mumbled something in Sally's ear. He was greeted by a questioning smile and a raised eyebrow. "Trying to relive the good old times in Ord, are you? Fine, I think I can get her to do that." she giggled and was about to turn back towards the castle. Then she turned back, her gaze suddenly stern. "Oh and one more thing. If you ever get into the mood for mud-sports again: don't. Do you have any idea how Zelda looked when she came home last night?"

Saria's sudden seriousness chilled Link more than he'd have expected. He shook his head, completely lost on what she was implying.

"Of course you didn't get it. Neither did she. Airheads!" she shook her head deprecatingly. Then she presented a frighteningly wicked grin. "Anyway, ask Zelda what I mean by that. This could lead to an excellent little experience." she warbled, then cackled.

Link couldn't even begin to tell what all that had meant. Confused, he watched the two, her slim and small, him tall and broad, walk off towards the inner castle.

He shook his head.

You two deserve each other!

"I'm afraid you just ended up in a Moblin's stomach, lad." Sir Alistair rasped with all the compassion of a rock.

Link was painfully clambering back to a stand. The blademaster had come up with another devious idea. They were now both wearing 'armour' made of a thick layer of soft wool covered by another layer of hardened leather. He had said that "All those prissy hits you've trained years to achieve will be your death. If you stand against a creature roaring for your blood, you don't go 'jab jab'! If you always practice with holding back your attacks, like in a duel, you will automatically do that during a real battle. And then you die, because you didn't just cut the Moblin in front of you into handy, harmless dice, but just caused it mild skin irritation."

Link had been painfully reminded of the Moblin he had killed in the arena… he very distinctly remembered his first, timid slashes that had barely even bitten through the creature's tough hide. The resulting kick he had received still made his bones rattle…

So, they now had their armour and Link was ordered to hit like he meant it. Currently, he was using a spear. It was an easy weapon to learn, probably the easiest. "At least if you want to get killed quickly." Sir Alistair had wheezed. If you were just poking like a maniac, hoping to keep the enemy away, you were lost, sooner rather than later. "Aye, you can keep them at distance relatively well with your average pointy stick. But what if he's quick and steps inside your range? What if there's two? They won't keep close together and attack you nicely one after the other like in the theatre! If you don't know how to use this weapon at least proficiently, you'd be better off with just a knife… can't have too many knives…"

Link had fought his way back upright. Sir Alistair looked as ridiculous in that thickly padded armour as Link felt. But it was light and relatively soft, so it didn't hamper him overly much.

"Now, again! I don't have much time today!"

The blademaster had announced that he would only have two hours instead of three today, since he was helping the king oversee preparations.

Link had asked him, of course, about this ominous war that seemed to be looming.

He had snorted derisively. "It's no war, boy, not yet anyways. Gerudo settlements have been attacked. Brutally. We know nothing about the attacker. Rallying the army is a precaution, so we are prepared if it comes to a true conflict." he rattled.

"Who is the attacker, Sir?" Link had wanted to know.

Sir Alistair had hesitated for an instant, then had looked him square in the eye. "This is not public information, lad, so I expect your promise as a man that you'll keep your mouth shut."

Link had nodded solemnly. 'Promise as a man' had sent a wave of pride through him. It appeared as if this frighteningly skilled knight was truly starting to respect him!

The blademaster had sighed. "Monsters, lad. That's all we know. A strangely coordinated attack at two different settlements."

Link had just an hour before their lesson read something about monster tactics, both in the present and history. "You don't suspect a true army of them, do you, Sir? The last time the creatures clans have formed anything larger than a battalion was 300 years ago…" he asked, bragging slightly with his knew knowledge.

His teacher had nodded curtly. "Aye. But just because it hasn't happened for a long time, doesn't mean that it is any less likely to happen again, lad." He had said mysteriously.

Right now the aging knight was standing opposite him, wielding an enormous, padded club. He was Link's Moblin for today.

He had described to his student how to best manipulate the stupid but devastating creature. Much of it had been eerily familiar. Either you got behind it while it was still recovering from the club's momentum and disabled it by hamstringing it, or you dived under its reach and stabbed it upwards under the ribcage into its enormous heart. Both relatively doable with a sword and downright impossible with a spear. So, Link had to get creative.

He stabbed the spear repeatedly at Sir Alistair's face, but always stopped just before it. He wanted to get the 'Moblin' mad and attack with more viciousness than sense. The blademaster, scarily quick raised the club and rammed it downwards to drive him into the ground like a nail. Link rolled to the side, went in closer and rammed the spear tip right under his attacker's arm, where it would cut the sinews.

"Not a bad idea. It'll slow it down." His master commented.

The young spearman tried to get behind, but Sir Alistair jumped right at him and kicked him heavily in the chest. While Link was fighting for air he was raising his giant club again. At the last moment he rolled away. As soon as he had stood up he saw the weapon come at him horizontally. In desperation he jumped high, doing a forward flip. He used this momentum to stab the 'creature' in the neck while he was busy finishing his swing.

Sir Alistair started to cough rather violently and for an instant, Link was worried that he'd actually injured him. But soon he saw a nasty grin form on his teacher's face. "Trying to kill off the rest of my voice, are you, lad?" he coughed again, then seemed to recover.

"Aye, that would have ended in your favour. You were able to jump that because of the elasticity of youth. In ten years a manoeuvre like that will be much harder. If a Moblin had hit you there, you'd have had to start all over again." he rasped, strict but still satisfied.

"Start over? And how would I do that?" Link asked, slightly confused.

The blademaster cackled evilly. "Being born is traditionally the first step."

As the blademaster had announced, he concluded today's lesson an hour earlier. Link, although as eager to learn as ever, was glad, because not only did that mean that, possibly, his limbs wouldn't be filled with lead tomorrow, but also that he had time to refresh himself before his rendezvous.

Rendezvous with the princess… it still sounded so completely unlikely in his head, like a child's fantasy.

Also: refreshing himself?! Link had never, ever, made a conscious effort to look good. Stay clean and don't smell? Naturally! But grooming? He was standing over his washing basin (the water had thankfully been replaced by servants), using his sword as a makeshift mirror, feeling like an absolute dolt.

Didn't his hair look rather stupid like that, dangling from his temples? Should he bind it back? What about his fringe? Goddess, the more he looked at himself, the more ridiculous he felt.

And what about his clothes? Yesterday he'd just worn whatever was clean… Should he take his best shirt? Would that seem like he was overdoing it? Trying too hard? He certainly didn't want to look like he didn't care! Holy heavens, why was everything so difficult all of a sudden?!

In the end he decided to wash himself completely. 'Need to be clean if Zelda wants to throw dirt at me again!' he grinned to himself. 'Otherwise, what's the point?'

To his shock he had spent almost the entire hour he had gained fretting over his looks. He felt almost a bit disgusted with himself. Was he becoming one of these powdered, perfumed nobles that looked like they took an entire morning for their appearance to be 'perfect'? Even the men! Especially the men! Especially the ugly men!

Link grabbed his sword and hastened to their appointed meeting spot. It just wouldn't do to let her wait. The man letting the lady wait because he still had to beautify himself… he'd rather look like a slob than that!

He reached the plaza with the dread-hospital and looked around. He still seemed to be on time… good!

He wondered what she'd look like today. He hadn't given specific instructions to Sally, knowing that the two girls were bright enough to figure that out on their own. He hoped that his idea wouldn't cause any unnecessary hustle for her. He'd wait…

Wait…His nose sent pleasant alarm signals to his brain. He smelled that intoxicating scent! He still wasn't sure whether it was an amazing perfume or just… well, her. He turned, sniffing like a dog. His gaze fell on a young woman standing a few metres away, her hands on her hips, looking at him with a sort of impatient smile. By the goddess, it was her! She was wearing a very… form-hugging, simple outfit of white linen and brown cloth and dark brown, tight trousers showing her shapely legs. She looked so different without a dress! Different… but impossibly good! The way her blouse delineated her slim but feminine figure… Link could not help but stare open-mouthed.

And her hair! Normally she wore it open so it could flow beautifully to the small of her back and sway in the wind. Now it was in a tight braid all the way down and on her head throned a simple, yet fitting cap. She looked like a lady-soldier ready for a night in town. Simplistic, practical and irresistibly cute.

Link realized that he had been staring dumbly for at least ten seconds. Zelda's face had by now gone bright pink. He felt some sort of comment was expected. "You look absolutely stunning! Don't ever wear a dress again!" he whispered hoarsely before he could stop himself.

Her pink cheeks instantly turned to crimson and she giggled bashfully into her hand. "So, you like women in trousers, I take it?" she asked softly.

"Depends on the woman in question, naturally." He answered, grinning widely. He was about to step closer when he noticed a tiny recoiling twitch from her. She looked down, regret clearly on her face, then gazed around furtively. Link understood. Too many people here. He felt a pang of disappointment that they couldn't just be open but he decided firmly not to let that spoil his mood. After all, that was why he asked her to appear like this…

She seemed to rally too, although Link could suddenly feel the worry that simmered behind her brave face. Sally had not been wrong… He could sense how hard it was for her not to show how troubled she was, so she didn't ruin this encounter. He also realized how eagerly she had awaited it, simply to get away from it all.

"So, are you going to tell me why I should come in disguise?" she asked, amused.

"Well, since you seemed to show a liking for stealth and subterfuge, I thought I might indulge you today. We're going out." he said, smiling mysteriously.

"Out? As in out of the castle?" she asked a bit apprehensively.

"No. That would just be crazy. Out of the city, of course!" he exclaimed quietly, giving her his most winning smile.

She looked at him as if he had lost his mind for a second. Then she seemed torn between nervousness and her sense of adventure. It certainly seemed to him that his enthusiasm wasn't lost on her.

She showed a cautious, timid smile. "I'm not sure about this, Link…" she said meekly. Her saying his name sent sparks of excitement into his brain. It had to be the sweetest sound he could imagine, his name coming from those beautiful, noble lips…

He took a half step closer, bent down ever so slightly and looked deeply into her concerned eyes. "Zelda…" he said softly and seriously. He realized suddenly that he had never called her that to her face… it had always been a playful 'princess' or 'highness'. He just hadn't dared just call her by her name alone, in case evoking it somehow shattered this dreamlike wonder he was experiencing and cast him back into reality. But now, all of a sudden, these doubts were gone. She was here, simply to be with him. She was real. And her name was his to use…

Her reaction was immediate. Link could see her breathe in and exhale softly, almost as if a weight had dropped from her shoulders. He saw a tiny, sweet smile play around the corners of her mouth and her sky-blue eyes seemed to shimmer in hues of gold.

"Zelda…" he repeated. "I would never do anything to put you in danger. I don't plan on going far from the gates, just enough so you can walk over the soft soil and smell the steppe's grass without anything to disturb you. I am confident that nothing will happen that the two of us can't handle with ease. I promise that I will keep you safe. Always." Link affirmed, his eyes inseparably connected to hers, trying to comfort her with all his might.

He saw the worry slowly abate in those breathtaking, clear eyes and be replaced with trust. Link's heart seemed to flutter in his chest at realizing just how deep this magnificent girl was willing to confide in him. He wanted to pull her into an earth-shattering kiss right then and there, but controlled himself with considerable effort.

Either she thought the same thing, or she could read his intentions, for she suddenly showed a flirtatious grin. "Very well, then. I will entrust you with my life, Sir Link."

He would never get enough of her saying his name. Emboldened by her words he offered her his hand with a smile that stated 'Sod everybody else! Only we matter!'

After only a tiny moment of hesitation, she took his hand and interlocked her delicate, elegant fingers with his. His chest swelled with excitement. 'Only we matter!' her smile answered back. He bowed down to plant a tender kiss the back of her hand, then rose again to give her an impish little grin, which she awarded him back.

"Why, such gallantry! Who would have expected?" she exclaimed, giggling.

"Certainly not me." Link answered truthfully.

Since not even Link had recognized the princess at first glance, he wasn't surprised when they passed through the gate guards without trouble. He could feel Zelda's hand tremble in his. For a moment he wondered whether he was doing the right thing, causing her so much stress. But when they were through and out of sight, her delighted, exuberant smile at having fooled them was reassurance enough.

Sadly, it didn't last very long. Link hadn't thought about the general atmosphere of worry that pervaded the city streets! He could kick himself! It was far away from outright panic, true, but someone as perceptive as Zelda would of course notice the slightly cramped smiles, the forced laughs and disconcerted conversations.

Zelda did notice, of course, he could feel it. He felt her grip his hand a little tighter, saw her lips get a bit narrower. Link wanted to crack open his empty head and ask if someone was home in there…

On the other hand, Zelda's tension seemed to struggle somewhat with her sense of wonder. Her gaze constantly darted around, looking at the hustle and bustle, the craftsmen, the workers, the architecture… When they passed a small market she seemed fascinated by all the different stands, the noise, the people buying and selling. With a sudden pang of sadness Link realized that for all the years she had lived in this city, she had probably never been able to just walk in a street or visit a sight. Always cooped up in that golden cage, unthinkable to just go into town to delight in all its innumerable impressions… He, a child from a backwater village, had probably seen more of the capital than she had! A terribly depressing thought…

Link hoped that this conflict everybody was fretting about would just blow over so he could take this poor girl to see all the wonders of the city, big and small. He decided he would do it anyway, if at all possible.

Getting her out of the castle seemed to be just what she needed. After a few minutes of darting between the different stalls selling flowers, fish, toys, what have you, she no longer seemed to notice the sense of worry in the air.

She was so delightfully timid, not daring to get too close to the stalls in case somebody addressed her. Link took particular pleasure in almost dragging her closer to a large Zora's stall where he offered dozens of different kinds of crabs, mussels and shrimp. Zelda seemed both appalled and fascinated by the odd creatures of the deep waters. Link gently guided her fingers to lightly touch an enormous lobster's carapace and she squealed in both disgust and cute delight. The grumpy Zora shooed them away and they both turned tail and ran, laughing like kids caught doing something forbidden. Zelda, slightly bolder now, stepped into a flower store and was entranced with the many-coloured splendour. He observed as she daintily touched and smelled at every blossom and was enraptured by some of the more exotic plants. She animatedly explained to him the uses of the growths she knew and he loved to listen to her. Link felt so much powerful affection when he saw her child-like wonder and enthusiasm, he wanted to hug her close and never let her go.

In the end the old lady running the stall kindly presented her with a single flower, a delicate, five-petalled, bluish-white blossom with an elegant looking pistil growing from the middle. Link couldn't have picked better himself. The woman was adamant and no shy, mumbled words of 'you needn't' from Zelda would sway her. They left the store, but not before the lady had winked knowingly at Link, who couldn't help but blush a little. He watched the princess happily cradling her flower as if it was the most precious gift she had ever received. Her overwhelmingly cute smile was too much, he couldn't hold back any more without bursting. He stepped close and gave her a quick but heartfelt kiss on the cheek before she could protest, then stepped back and looked at her sheepishly. She seemed surprised, then turned red which she ineffectually tried to conceal by hiding behind the flower.

Goddesses above, she could be cute! Link didn't know what to do with all these emotions he was having.

They left the market but only after she made him promise to take her back there another time, which he happily did. Hand in hand they neared the north gate where it would once again become suspenseful.

Link put on his best authoritative face and, in passing, nodded curtly at the sinister looking guards. It seemed to work, for not only did they not stop them but even straightened up a bit and nodded back. Who knew? Either they knew him as knight-aspirant, or as the victor of the contest. They didn't even seem to notice the girl at his side. Perfect!

They stepped over the enormous drawbridge and into the afternoon sun. The atmosphere out here was excellent. The tall green grass of the steppe wafted in the wind, the sun's warm rays made the plants smell wonderfully of nature… just as he'd hoped.

The effects on his lovely date were immediate. She breathed in deeply, making a small sound of exultation. He had the feeling as if she'd like to do nothing more than to just run wildly through the grass and feel their tender caress against her hands, be free from any conventions or regulations that had dominated her entire life. The feeling of being liberated from invisible shackles came so strongly from her, he could almost taste it.

He saw, only about a hundred metres to the left, a flat hill with a couple of trees standing proudly. He smiled at the silly idea that came to his mind. He gently shook her hand to get her attention. "First one to the trees?" he asked mischievously, pointing.

She looked a little bemusedly from him, to the trees and back.

"Come on!" he exclaimed. "Last one's a slow little princess!" he added cheekily.

He could see, by her amusedly determined expression that she had caught on. He gave a deep bow, leaving her the advantage, which she took unabashedly.

Link looked back up. To his pleasure he noticed that she was pretty quick. He started after her through the tall grass. He could hear her giggling delightedly as she ran, her hands extended to feel the blades of grass' gentle caress. When he got up to her level, he gently tickled her in the neck, at which she squealed in surprise. He overtook her but to his surprise she sped up considerably, glaring at him in mock outrage. He could of course easily win still, but he chose not to. Instead he ran just next to her so they both reached their goal at the same time.

Zelda was slightly out of breath. Her cheeks were flushed and her eyes sparkled in excitement. She had never looked lovelier, Link thought, swallowing.

She giggled madly, clearly elated at the newly found freedom. She gazed around from the slight vantage point and grinned at all she could see. She knelt down and simply touched the dry, sun-baked earth with her fingers, letting it trickle between her hands. Her exhilaration was contagious. Link watched her dance around in the sun, playing with earth and plants, feeling her sense of liberty. He saw her laughing, magnificent face, noticed the feminine, elegant way she moved with almost dance-like grace. He also couldn't help but be aware of the beautiful curves of her enticing figure. The sheer force of her appeal took his breath away.

She suddenly turned towards him, her stunning eyes filled with joy. She ran into his arms, whispered "Thank you!" and kissed him fiercely.

Link was hopelessly overchallenged. What should he do? Where should he place his hands? Where _shouldn't_ he place his hands? Her soft lips against his certainly didn't leave his brain much of its ability to think.

His body took over the thinking and his arms wrapped around her and pulled her in just a little bit. For a few seconds they were both, once again, lost in their shared piece of eternity.

Then he felt her stir a bit and he released her immediately.

She drew back, her hands still on his shoulders. She looked a bit abashed because of her sudden assault. And a little insecure. She gave him one more short kiss, softer, less forceful and stepped away.

Link understood. It was no rejection, not at all. She simply wanted to be careful. She trusted him, but she also knew where all of this could lead and she didn't want to go there yet. Link understood…

He smiled at her, signalling that everything was alright. Zelda awarded him a grateful smile of her own.

Quick, say something before this gets awkward!

"You are surprisingly quick on your feet!" he offered, unable to think of anything better as his brain was still trying to restore order in his head.

"What, did you think I'd just be some lazy slob, unable to put my feet in front of one another?" she challenged, crossing her arms.

"Well, yes! Naturally! All the princesses I've ever met were hopeless klutzes."

He shouldn't have said princess… he could see all of the troubles that had plagued her wash back as if he had opened a giant sluice. All those troubles of being a princess. Goddess damn him and his stupid mouth!

She bravely tried to not let it show, but the brief flickering of her smile had been more than enough for Link. "Alas, this one tries to be a tad more _useful_ than the average princess you find on every street corner." she countered.

Useful… the word stung in Link's mind. All her life she had tried to be useful. Like some tool! Subconsciously she had put so much disdain for the word into her speech that he would have had to be deaf not to realize from how dark a depth that had come. Something worried her immensely. Something would force her to be 'useful' again. And she feared it.

With a regret so strong it made his insides cramp he realized that he might have just ruined the day with his unthinking words. He had broken through the painfully erected barrier behind which she had banished her troubles for the day, so she could be unburdened with him. There was no way back. So, he thought determinedly, setting his jaw, he would help her on the way forward and fix what he had broken. No matter how painful it was what was gnawing at her soul, he would not let her stand alone.

He carefully stepped closer and gently put his hands on her shoulders. She was surprised but didn't recoil. With a compassionate, sincere expression he looked into her eyes. They had lost their joy from before and that cut at him more deeply than he could describe.

"Zelda. I can feel your worries. Clearly. I am so sorry that my careless words have caused you to remember them. But please, don't pretend for my sake. Let me help you!"

She gazed at him, astonished. He could feel her inner conflict. Confiding or protecting… this wonderful, beautiful girl thought she had to protect him from something… all the more reason for him to try to understand!

She lowered her gaze, reached up and grabbed his hands on her shoulders. She pressed them, shaking slightly, her breath coming jerkily. The sight nearly brought tears to his own eyes. He needed to let her decide…

"So transparent, am I?" she asked weakly, her voice jittery.

He didn't say anything, just took her hands in his.

They stood like this for a few moments, before Zelda looked back up at him, having regained her control. Link admired her. She was strong… whatever frightened her, she didn't let her fear overcome her completely.

"I am… scared. You've heard of the attack on the two Gerudo oases?" she asked softly. Link nodded and gave a little hum.

"We think this attack and the… assault at the arena are connected, somehow. There is… a threat in the air, but we know next to nothing!" she uttered. With a sudden flashback he felt reminded about the strange voyeur crone he had encountered on the way. She had babbled something about 'ancient evil'… why would he think of that madwoman now? Surely that really was all she was, right? A madwoman?

"And there is more… something I have to do, something that frightens me to my core. But I… can't tell you right now, not while I'm still unsure… please understand…" she finished, her voice cracking once again.

The crone's words he hadn't thought about for days suddenly resounded clearly in his head. 'You must become the protector.' 'Defending only half-heartedly will mean your death and the death of her.'

He shooed these echoes out of his mind. Right now Zelda needed him.

He squeezed her hands a little. "I understand, Zelda. You don't need to explain yourself. I only want you to know that I am here to help you, if you need me. If I can ease your burden, tell me and I will do all I can."

For an instant she looked almost panicked and he wondered, if he had said something wrong. But then she smiled thankfully at him. Thankful, but sad.

"Thank you, truly. It all seemed so heavy, so insurmountable. These… attempts on my life, my father, the king, who is so distant he almost seems uncaring, this new attack of a host of monsters…" she recounted, shaking her head slightly.

Then she rubbed her eyes and gave a short, pained laugh. "I'm so sorry. It is I who has spoiled this day now… I really, truly am s…"

"Now now, what have I told you about saying that?" Link demanded strictly.

She looked at him, momentarily nonplussed. Then a tiny amused smile crept around her lips. "You said you don't want me to say sorry all the time…" she said, meek like a scolded child.

"So, don't say it! There is nothing you have to feel sorry for. You are allowed to feel down! I only demand that you allow me to help bring your spirits up again!" he urged, smiling encouragingly.

Zelda awarded him with one of her breathtaking grins. "And how do you propose to do that?" she questioned.

Good question, thought Link. Now what would completely break down a princess' reserve? Once again, he had one of his brilliant, yet utterly stupid ideas.

"Can you swear?" he asked nonchalantly.

"Swear what?" she asked, confused.

"Not swear an oath. Swear! Curse! Use expletives!" he exclaimed, unable to hide his mischievous grin. He stepped away so she could have all the imagined limelight.

Zelda looked at him as if he had lost his mind. She seemed really uncomfortable with the idea… Perfect, Link thought!

"Come on! Give me your best shot! Let me hear your best swearwords. Nobody's around!" he chuckled at her distressed face.

"You are…" she said weakly.

She took a deep breath and swallowed, as if the taste of the exercise he had given her was already bad.

She opened her mouth hesitantly. "C…cack." she mumbled.

Zelda twisted her face in slight disgust. Link waited for more to come, but that seemed to be all.

"That's it? 'Cack'?! That's pathetic! Every five year old in Hyrule can swear better than that! These words exist for a reason, you princess, you! They relieve stress. Come on! Shout it loudly and proudly!" he yelled, trying to get her going.

"Sh… shh…" she attempted, clamping her mouth shut.

"Or maybe, you just can't. Maybe you really are just a dainty little flower…" he smirked nastily.

He could see her resolve firing up. She took another deep breath.

"Shit." She said resignedly. Link motioned her to continue.

"Shit. Shit shit shit." She got a little more forceful, said it with more emotion.

"Shit shit shitty shit. Shit _shit_ SHIT!" Zelda hissed, her face now slightly alight with forbidden glee.

Time to up the ante!

"Do you know the f-word?" Link asked innocently.

Zelda stopped, open mouthed. Link knew he had won already, but he wanted to completely let out the steam.

"Fff… fornicate." she said in a tiny voice.

"Oh come on! You can do it! I belieeeeve in you!" he shouted dramatically.

"Fuck. Alright? There! Fuck. Shit fuck. Fuck all of this! Fuck it! Shit shitity shit, fuckity fuck every single fucking problem!" She yelled, a mixture of glee and anger in her voice. Now he had her going perfectly!

"Let it out! Out with it all!" he prompted.

"Fucking shit on all fucking monsters, fuck all bloody assassins, fuck all the arsehole nobility and their shitty ways! SHIT FUCK _PISS_!" she screamed at the top of her lungs.

Then she suddenly clapped her hand over her mouth and stared in wide-eyed shock over what she had just said. What she had just _screamed_!

Link looked at her with sparkling eyes, filled with admiration. "I don't think I have ever heard a girl curse so beautifully!"

She glared at him, her hand still over her mouth. "You utterly wretched miscreant!" she exclaimed, muffled. Her stare of delighted horror was priceless.

"That's me! Now tell me that wasn't liberating." he grinned from ear to ear.

She slowly removed her hand and her cheeks turned a deep crimson. She nodded, smiling as if she had done something forbidden but deeply pleasurable.

"See? So, if you ever need someone to curse violently at, just say the word and I'll take you back to this very spot and you can scream your anger out as dirtily as you like!" he promised, deeply amused still. The sight of this angelic, blonde girl yelling all this nastiness had a strange but powerful attraction.

She looked into his eyes, still so laughably ashamed as if she had actually done something wrong. But she smiled impishly and nodded.

Sadly they slowly had to turn back as the trek back through the city to the castle would take at least another hour. Both of them were loath to leave this serene place with its shadow giving trees, overlooking the endless expanse of the Hylian Steppe. For Zelda especially it was a place outside the walls that had surrounded her all her life, a place that hinted of the endless freedom of the world.

Link could still feel her thoughts troubling her. Of course a little cursing couldn't just make you forget all that was eating at you. But, and for that he was proud, she seemed a lot more relaxed, a lot more free. They walked back towards the north road through the grass, hand in hand. Both of them were comfortably silent. Nothing else needed to be said for today. They were joined in their shared pleasure at feeling a little more unfettered.

As impossible as it seemed, Link's feelings for this angelic wonder beside him had grown even more. And steadily he became more assured that her feelings were not unlike his own. A wonderful realization…

Before they came close to the drawbridge Zelda slowed, then pulled him to the side and stood towards the west, towards the setting sun. For an instant, Link was confused, but then he understood. She wanted to simply savour these last few seconds before returning inside the walls.

They stood at the edge of the road and Zelda was just facing the sun, her eyes closed, enjoying the warmth and the wind on her skin. Link was torn between letting her have this moment alone and joining her in the tranquillity she felt. The bright rays of light on her, showing how immaculate her skin was. The wind playing with the few singular hairs it could free from her braid. Her posture, proud, straight, fierce… After a few seconds he could no longer resist. He slowly stepped up closer, audibly so she wouldn't be startled. He tenderly wrapped his arms around her slender shoulders from behind, careful not to miss any signs of discomfort she might show. But she didn't. In the end he had her in his embrace and rested his cheek against her head. Her hair smelled so wonderful… her supple body felt so marvellously warm… and, most important of all, she seemed to melt into his arms, signalling her comfort by softly humming. Link closed his eyes, utterly at peace for the moment. I'm home…


	25. Chapter 24

**Hey there! I hope you're enjoying my story so far!**

 **Lately I have tended to make my chapters longer, which always takes me a little more time. Do you prefer more frequent updates with less content, or bigger chapters but more days waiting time? Or is both alright?**

 **Let's see if the follow-notifications are fixed by now, shall we?**

Chapter 24

Zelda

Zelda's head was still all fuzzy and bubbling with emotion. There were no words, no words in any language that could accurately describe the pure, simple yet profound comfort she had felt when Link had wrapped his arms around her.

She was able to feel his apprehension, his fear that she might reject this advance in the careful gentleness of his movement. Nothing could have been further from the truth. She had meant to tell him, encourage him, but sensed that he understood without a word. Without even a thought she had snuggled into his strong, caring arms, enjoying the attention enormously. Not only the attention, naturally… he seemed to understand her so effortlessly, so completely… she felt so strengthened, supported, but also needed. This embrace, this simple, wonderful gesture carried such a strong notion of protection and emotional aid… he gave it freely… maybe even lovingly… But it was also a sign of his search for stability, his admission of his need, his questing for the warmth of a guiding light. His hug, so strong and warmly protective, also looked for a place to hold on to, a place that could help carry the weight. Zelda could not put into words the feelings that arose when she realized that he had chosen her to be his support, when she, mostly unconsciously, had already chosen him to be hers.

She could feel his heart beat when he held her. It was filled with such a captivating calm that, for just these all too few seconds, she had felt completely at peace. She could feel his relaxed breath against her head where his cheek touched it. His reassuring weight against her gentled her thoughts until they were almost completely still.

Zelda wished that moment could last forever, lost in the marvellous serenity of his embrace…

She did not want to say goodbye, not today. She watched his back as he slowly walked away, fighting with herself not to call him back. The inners struggle got so gut-wrenching that she had to dig her nails painfully into the palms of her hands to keep silent. She wanted nothing more than to ask him to come with her, to lend her some of his strength when she had to go into an unknown that frightened her. She knew he would have, without a moment's hesitation. But that was the problem…

If they were correct and he too had a part to play in this new, cataclysmic drama that was unfolding, she might have to ask more of him than anyone had any right to. She might have to rip him out of his comfortable, innocent life… No, worse! She might cause him to rip himself out of his life, only to aid her!

She could not, in good conscience, drag him down this perilous road that she, apparently, had to take. Not until she was certain! Link would do anything to help her. The knowledge gave her a fierce but sad determination. She too had to do her best to protect him. As a princess, yes… but, by now, also as so much more…

So, she would not involve him if she could help it. Anything else would only be selfish. He deserved better. If that meant that she had to weather this unknown danger all by herself, she was prepared to do it, no matter how much the sheer thought chilled her to the bone.

She had to. It was her duty.

Before he passed the corner he turned one last time to look back. Zelda dug her nails deeper into her flesh and bit her lip.

Leave, you idiot, or my resolve will crumble to dust!

Then he was gone.

Zelda felt both relieved and dejected. Even though it was a warm summer's eve she suddenly felt shivery. Hoping that it was just the tension making itself felt, she hugged herself for warmth. The feeling conjured up the still fresh memory of him holding her close. Even though she was now alone, the notion gave her a bit of the same comfort she had felt out on the steppe. She could almost still feel his gentle strength touching her, wrapping her in a protective cocoon. She looked to the side and, almost clandestinely, smelled at the cloth covering her shoulder. A sheepish smile crept onto her face. Her garb still smelled of him…

It gave her courage. Maybe just enough to withstand any terror the night could throw at her.

Blushing slightly, she decided that a change of clothes had now been officially cancelled. Like this, he would at least be with her in spirit…

The last hour before she was to meet her father and Impa felt like an eternity. She tried to read, but she couldn't make sense of the sentences. She paced around aimlessly until she forced herself to stop that nonsense. She undid her hair, then decided to braid it again, as it would be easier to control. And protect… Idiot, she scolded dismissively… shaking her head at herself, Zelda wondered how she could think of something as unimportant as her hair at a time like this… Then again, whatever this Threat was, for now it was so incomprehensible, so abstract… maybe her brain unconsciously searched for something identifiable, something it knew how to be afraid of. And threat to long, lovingly tended hair? Very real and veeeerrrrry scary!

Zelda had to giggle at her foolish thoughts. Sally would have a field day, if she knew what was going through her mind. "Aw, poor brainless bimbo Zelda, somefing touched hew haiw… how dweadfuww!" Oh how much she wanted Sally to be here right now, teasing her with her endless sarcasm. But she was still out, lucky her…

When finally the time was right to go to the map room, she actually felt eager to meet whatever was lurking in the unknown, just to finally get it over with.

She arrived at the chamber five minutes early. Her father's generals and close advisors were in the process of leaving. They all looked exhausted and tense. Most likely they had spent the entire day organizing. Zelda couldn't even begin to list all the important steps that involved assembling an army of tens of thousands… send orders to all the cities and towns where garrisons were stationed. Dispatch heralds to travel from village to village, relaying the orders to members of the militia and conscripting new able-bodied men and women. Procure food and provisions for thousands of hungry mouths. Fire up the smithies nationwide to ensure an uninterrupted supply of weapons, arrows and armour.

Those were only the immediately obvious factors… Zelda's head spun at the seemingly insurmountable task. She decided that she would ask the general staff to teach her the most pressing points. Even if that meant stealing their valuable time, she couldn't allow herself to not know these things… one day, she'd have to give the orders. And by Din's fire, she would not be some dainty, worthless puppet of a queen, completely dependent on her advisors!

When the men and women had all poured out, she entered the room. She saw her father sit in his chair, reclined, his hand covering his eyes. He probably hadn't gotten a second of sleep. Zelda did feel admiration for his diligence about his duty… but she couldn't help feel the anger at him return to a low simmer.

Good, actually… if he tried to once again keep her from knowledge, she would be ready.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" he asked, not looking up.

He sounded so tired, but also afraid… Zelda felt her determination waver for a second upon hearing his utterly defeated voice. But she would not falter.

"I am." She simply said.

She felt a cold, but by now familiar shiver down her spine.

"You can come out." she ordered with more certainty than she actually felt.

"Your ability to sense my presence amazes me, my princess." Impa said softly.

The king looked up, startled, but he refrained from saying anything. His frown was tired and resigned.

"Well, we are all here. What are we waiting for?" Zelda asked impatiently.

"A minute, my princess. Let the generals disperse to their quarters so we will be undisturbed. In the meantime, let me assure you that you need not expect any harm where we are going. There is nothing immediately dangerous under the castle." Impa explained.

'Under the castle', Zelda thought surprised. So close?

"The knowledge that it is my duty to impart, however, will hold a certain peril. As I have hinted at during our first meeting, the agents of the Threat have systematically hunted down all knowing ones over the centuries. Even us, the Shiekah. When once, a thousand years ago, my people numbered in the hundreds, there are but a few dozens left. They have ground at us like a millstone for centuries and have all but destroyed all knowledge of their goals and of the foul deity they revere. Knowing what I am about to impart will put you in danger too." she finished, regret clearly in her voice.

Zelda nodded grimly.

"There is… another matter." Impa said, suddenly looking unsure how to continue.

"This knowledge is not easy. I fear it will put you under considerable stress… I had hoped so much that you would be spared this until later. I would have preferred to tell you all this when you have become a woman grown. But we no longer have a choice, I'm afraid. The Threat's agents have never acted out in the open, not before their attempt at your life. I firmly believe that their sudden boldness is telling that their lord's resurgence is at hand…"

Zelda's jaw tensed. She knew that the Shiekah's words were born out of concern, but they still stung her pride.

"I am no child, Impa. I will do what I have to and learn what I need to accomplish it." she said proudly.

The old woman gave a knowing, sad smile. "I know this, your majesty. I have no doubt. It only pains my heart that you could not have had more years without this burden…" The sadness in her voice made Zelda's stomach turn cold. The woman spoke as if she was going to her death…

Her father, silent until now, stirred. "I advise you to take anything the Shiekah says with a grain of salt. As she has admitted, even her knowledge is woefully incomplete… But whatever happens, know that I will help you in any way I can, my daughter…" he said quietly, as if speaking these words took considerable effort.

Zelda raised her eyebrow at him. 'Yes, father? Where was your help when I was under attack? Where was your help when I asked for information?' She didn't say it. That would just be petty. But she could sense that the expression on her face was enough for him to understand her smouldering ire. She knew he meant his words and that he would never abandon her… but she would not let him forget so easily how utterly rejected she had felt for weeks due to his cold turning away.

"Noted." she let him know, coolly.

To Impa she said "I understand your concern, but as you say, there is no longer a choice. I will not falter before my duty." She tried to put as much fortitude into her voice as she could, while hoping that her quickened heart-rate remained inaudible. She was so nervous, she felt her pulse racing in her throat and her vision seemed shaky. But her determination was strong. Strong arms around her shoulders…

Impa nodded, still with that profound sadness on her face, visible even under her hood. "Very well. Then we should leave. I will follow you, hidden until we have reached the entrance to the temple."

Zelda turned towards her father, who looked back at her with so much sorrow that she felt a wave of cold running down her entire body. He slowly stood and walked towards the door, almost as if hoping that if he wasted enough time, Zelda would rethink her decision.

"Where are we going?" she asked, not wanting to be led like a lamb to the slaughter.

"Gardens…" he said almost inaudibly. He cleared his throat, then continued in a stronger voice. "To the gardens. The old part."

Zelda stared at him, wide eyed. "The part behind the gate?" she questioned.

He nodded and gazed at her, wondering why she seemed so surprised.

She said nothing but just looked straight ahead. _Her_ place? Whatever terrorized their thoughts was hidden at _her_ island of peace?

This knowledge alone bothered her more than she wanted to admit. Of all places in the whole world, why did it have to be my only refuge? Why did she have to lose this place too?

'Our place' she corrected herself. The tiny forest where they first kissed, where they had their delightfully stupid mud-battle… the fountain where she had felt so close to another hylian being like never before… Why, by Farore's mercy, did all this have to be profaned?

Tears filled her eyes while they walked. She shut them and bit her lip. It pained her so much she wanted to scream!

Strong arms around her… his scent on her clothes…

Zelda relaxed slightly, the momentary panic slowly abating. Maybe she no longer needed it so dearly… Maybe she had found a new… 'place' where she could be herself…

She wiped away the last remnants of her tears and hoped her father hadn't noticed her lapse of composure. 'Then again, even if he noticed now, he probably wouldn't know what to do anyway...' she thought bitterly.

They had passed through the nightly gardens, the light of a torch her father carried the only light. Not even the moon wanted to show her face, as if hiding in fear.

They reached the rickety gate. Zelda cradled the key she always had with her, but didn't present it. Neither did she help her father push it open by placing that well practiced kick in the corner. She still hoped that some of the serenity of this location would be spared, that she could still come here to feel the touch of freedom when all this was over. For that reason she showed no sign of knowing this place. Her father would surely – try to – forbid her from coming here again…

Tonight the lush, wild forest seemed decidedly less friendly… The pants' shadows created by the torch reminded her all too vividly of the dark tendrils and claws that had ravaged her camp on the north road. Zelda knew it was just her imagination, born from tension and fear.

"Do you despise me?" her father asked, startling her.

Zelda could tell he tried to make his voice sound calm and collected. He didn't succeed. She also thought heavily on how to answer.

"I am angry with you. And disappointed." she replied finally, trying to sound calm as well.

To her surprise he chuckled lowly. "Forgive me. If only you knew how often your mother used the exact same words…"

Zelda didn't know how to answer. This was not the time, nor the place for a heart to heart. "Then believe me when I say that I have reason to feel this way." she said through gritted teeth.

He nodded. "I know you do. But I convinced myself that bearing your hate for me was a small price to pay to see you safe and happy." he explained sorrowfully.

She tensed her jaw. Now you feel like talking! When everything has already been decided! By _me_!

"I do not hate you. But how can you possibly assume that I would be happy, being kept at arms length by you?" she had not meant to say the last sentence, but it just poured out of her. She felt all her displeasure that she had tried to keep bottled up for today suddenly burst forth as if she had opened a vent.

"How can you deliberately keep me uninformed when you knew – you _knew_ – that these attacks had me as target? How can you try to hide whatever Impa is trying to show me when it is clear that I need to know? How can you distance yourself like that at a time when I needed you most?!" she hissed, gritting her teeth so her eyes would stop turning wet. "How could you?!" she spat, her voice starting to tremble. They had stopped and he looked at her wide-eyed. He seemed so unsure what to do, lost in powerless grief. But his inaction only fanned the flames of her anger. "Say something!" she yelled, hot tears now running down her cheeks.

All of her anger, her fear, her disappointment had erupted and was now aimed at him. She knew it wasn't entirely fair, but when was the last time she had been treated fairly?

"Everything you said is true. I do not know how I could do all this. I honestly thought I was doing the right thing. I thought it might still be coincidence and that it was too early to burden you. I did not know how much pain it would cause you…" he answered meekly.

Zelda, in her rage, would have preferred if he had yelled back so she too could raise her voice even more, letting all her ire descend upon him. With him so meek she felt her fury lacked fuel to continue. She huffed indignantly. Link's therapeutic session suddenly sprang to mind. "Then _fucking_ learn!" she spat, turned and continued through the dense undergrowth.

'Goddess, it felt good to have that out of my system!' Zelda thought, wiping her cheeks, angry at herself for crying so easily. She knew she'd feel sorry for this outburst tomorrow, but today she decided to enjoy all the relief she could possibly get. And maybe, just maybe, her father would actually understand.

As Zelda had feared, he had taken them to the fountain. Wistfully she looked at the proud, generous goddess on the plinth. What have you been hiding from me all this time, Nayru?

The king stepped up to the statue. "Hold this, please." he muttered, extending the torch. When she had taken it, he stepped onto the rim of the basin, stretched and reached up to touch the goddess' hand. After a brief search, splashing in the water that kept pouring from her open palm, Zelda suddenly heard a loud 'click'. To her surprise the waterfalls stopped and the basin drained quickly. The king moved to the statue's other side and repeated the process. Another 'click', followed by a deep grinding noise, like stone on stone.

To her amazement half the basin's floor started to move, revealing a deep dark shaft. When the stone had completely moved away, Zelda could see a winding stone staircase leading downwards. Staring down into the dark, she felt her stomach cramp. Right under her nose the entire time…

Her father took the torch back and, his face contorted in sorrow, carefully walked downwards on the wet stone. Zelda swallowed once, took a deep breath and followed suit.

After only a few steps it was as if the darkness had swallowed them whole. The flickering torchlight was hardly adequate to show anything and both of them more felt their way downwards than actually saw it. It seemed like an eternity of careful climbing before the ground levelled out.

Zelda looked around. She could barely make out the walls of the chamber they stood in. Smooth, high, wet… "A cistern?" she asked.

"Correct, my princess." Impa said softly, but still managed to startle her so much she actually jumped away. Zelda suddenly noticed that from the moment they had left the map room she hadn't thought of the Shiekah at all. It was as if, from one second to the other, she had completely forgotten about her. Normally she would have looked clandestinely for her, tried to sense her presence… but she hadn't even thought of trying that! This was more than just clever hiding and stalking…

"How do you do this?" Zelda wanted to know. Partly because it frightened her, partly because she thought that the ability to make everyone around forget she existed seemed very enticing.

The old woman started to speak, stopped to think, then finally said: "A talent of the Shiekah, my princess. One that I have mastered. For most of the trek through the garden I simply walked behind you. From most people I do not even have to hide…" Mysterious and fascinating! Maybe the old woman could teach her? First things first, though…

"Where are we?" she asked while walking across the cistern and into a carved entryway.

Her father cleared his throat. "If my research is correct, we are in the cellars of the castle that stood on this hill more than 2000 years ago. This cistern is even older. So little is left of the records from that time…"

An image formed before her eyes… but it was very faint… a castle on a hill amidst a city. Clearly Hyrule city, but the stronghold looked completely different. Suddenly the image darkened and she saw the city at night. The entire scene was illuminated by an enormous fire that seemed to consume the hill wholly. Then it was over.

Zelda reached up to rub her temple. She had the grim anticipation that this wouldn't be the only vision of this night.

The three walked along a stone corridor. Time did not seem to have much effect here… The stone plates on the floor were still whole, there were no cracks in walls or ceiling, not even dust had settled in…

She couldn't abide the silence, it made her skin crawl. "So tell me, then! What is expecting me down here? Start imparting this dangerous knowledge already!" she ordered impatiently. Zelda tried to make fun of it a little, mostly to calm her own nerves. It wasn't working. In addition to the slight trembling for being nervous, she also started to shiver from the dank cold in this place.

"Very well. More than two millennia ago your ancestors were engaged in a fierce battle. Not a battle for lands or glory, but for life itself. It is said that the world was only moments away from sinking into eternal darkness. The texts we still have only talk of 'the Calamity' or 'the Ancient Evil' or 'the Threat'. Whatever it is, it had swept the land into a maelstrom of tyranny and death. According to the information I could gather the Threat wields godlike power and has a single-minded lust for domination." Impa explained.

Darkness… a darkness so dense that no light could escape. From a formless miasma it consolidated to the shape of a beast… no, a man… no, it couldn't be a man! All that it touched was engulfed in flame, all that met its gaze withered and crumbled, all that stood in its way perished in unspeakable agony.

It embodied evil so primal it seemed older than the goddesses. It was always shifting, sometimes wreathed in dark, red flame, sometimes it seemed akin to a giant, tusked beast that poisoned the air with smoke and ash. It was always moving, looking for new land to ravage, new cities to raze, new people to enslave. It was always hungry, for power, for suffering, for death.

Zelda saw it so close as if she could touch it. The sheer sight of it made her breath falter. The unspeakable evil lust she felt it radiate filled her with so much fear she felt her heart race until it felt like it might burst.

Suddenly the thing turned its head and grinned at her! With a deathly frightened scream Zelda recoiled and stumbled right into Impa. She swatted panicky in front of her eyes, trying frantically to wipe the image away but it had already ended. She sat there, on the moist stone, her breath fast and flat, trembling on her whole body like dry leaves in a storm. She could hear both Impa and her father try to talk to her, but her panic filled mind could make no sense of their words.

It had reacted to her! It had _seen_ her! How was that even possible?!

She gritted her teeth and squeezed her eyes shut. It was a vision. It was just a vision! She repeated it over and over in her mind until slowly the panic subsided. Only now she realized that her father was kneeling beside her, holding her close and slowly stroking her head. When normally she would have felt really awkward, she now felt immensely thankful for it. She gripped his arms, buried her face in his chest and started to sob. Zelda hated herself for this display of weakness, but she had better chance to change the course of the sun than to hold back her weeping. All her talk how she was ready, how she wasn't a child and now this! She wasn't ready… she couldn't have been ready… whatever this… monstrosity was it defied logic, it defied explanation. It was pure chaos… and even through a vision its terror had hit her right in the soul.

When her sobbing finally ebbed, she took a deep, quavering breath. "Forgive me! I feel like a complete fool." she apologized weakly. Her father gently shushed her. "Don't, Zelda my love. I feared this place would cause this. Did you have a vision?" he asked.

She nodded. "I saw…" she breathed heavily "… him!"

The image was seared into her mind, these hungry eyes, this vicious grin. She had felt the heat of his hellish flames char her skin and had felt her sanity fail at the madness in his sinister gaze.

"But if those heroes of old have defeated him in the end, what is now threatening us?" Zelda asked, needing something to take her mind off the image haunting her.

"I know not how it is that we have to face the same trial as our forefathers and mothers. The only information I could garner hinted at a cyclical reappearance. I am sorry, but I can only speculate…"

"So we don't even know whether it _can_ be stopped?" Zelda asked, incredulous.

Impa started to say something, then sighed. "We do not." she admitted.

Zelda felt her fear turn into anger. "Then what are we, am I, supposed to do? Wait until its re-emergence, then banish it again so in another couple thousand years the next poor princess can deal with the problem? This is no solution!" she exclaimed.

Her father spoke up, slowly releasing her as she has calmed down. "We do not know what has transpired during the last… cycle. Possibly they knew a chance to end it once and for all. Maybe the were unable to accomplish it and settled for the next best thing, biding for time. The simple fact is we know nothing. That is why, regrettable, you have to be here…to hopefully find out something… for once." he added with a nasty look at the Shiekah.

Zelda nodded. She slowly stood up, hugging herself. She closed her eyes. The steppe, sun, Link holding her in a tight embrace… she inhaled deeply. A little bit of his scent was still there… Why had she sent him away?

Still, once again the memory and the feeling of safety it conjured mended her cracked determination.

She swallowed, then nodded again. "I am ready to proceed."

"We can continue at a later date…" her father suggested, purely so he'd said it.

"No we can not. We continue." Zelda said firmly.

Impa nodded at her with a motherly, proud smile.

Zelda felt profound embarrassment, but decided not to let it get to her. She had seen the Threat and now knew for a fact that both Impa's and her father's worries were justified. The utter horror it had caused in her with a single, split-second glance had almost been enough to send her tumbling down the endless slope of madness. She had felt it claw at her sanity, wanting to drown her in its chaos. Never, ever, had she even thought it possible to feel so much abject fear. But she had not given in! From that fear slowly arose an iron resolution. If at all she could, she would prevent that anybody else would have to feel such terror. She had seen it and, more than anybody else, had gained the profound understanding that it needed to be stopped.

Yes, she had faltered. But then her resolve had been reforged, clearer and sharper.

They continued on their way. They walked through different rooms with no apparent purpose. Impa had called this place a 'temple'. It was too dark to really see anything… At times Zelda thought she could see mural paintings on walls or ceiling, but could grasp their meaning. Occasionally a path branched off into another direction. Her father explained that they were no longer leading anywhere as most of them had collapsed and whatever they had lead to probably no longer existed. As they trudged along, Zelda noticed that one thing was still a mystery. "So, what is down here? You spoke of a sword, I believe?" she asked, once again trying to break the silence.

"Yes. We are almost there. This place used to be a temple, though I am unsure what it was devoted to. Most logical would be the sword itself… here we are!" Impa said with an edge of finality in her voice.

The path had led them to a huge, round, domed hall. The floor seemed to be white marble, from what Zelda could see. Towards the middle of the large chamber a few steps seemed to lead upwards onto another stone platform. Zelda was certain it was the same hall she had seen in her visions…

"I have seen this place… a sword, jutting from the stone in the middle…" she said, her thoughts far off.

Impa nodded. "Of one thing, amidst all this doubt, I am sure. The sword is the weapon that was used to combat evil. There is not one text from that time that doesn't mention it."

Zelda slowly stepped closer, as if drawn to it by invisible strings. She could not even see it yet in all this darkness, but somehow she was aware of it. It was almost as if a strong presence was residing with them in this room. It beckoned her…

She ascended the handful of steps. She noticed that the inner platform had the Triforce symbol made of black stone in white marble. She mostly knew the symbol from her family's coat of arms. Apparently, in more pious times, the symbol had represented the three goddesses and had been depicted everywhere. Occasionally you could see it carved into the older parts of the stronghold and, of course, the temple devoted to the Three had an enormous gold one looming over everybody.

Now Zelda could see it. The blade stuck in a pedestal in the exact middle of the symbol, it protruded about half a metre from the floor. She saw a dark blue crossguard with a dull yellow stone inlet. The hilt wrapping seemed to have withered away, only a few vaguely golden threads were left. A pommel in the same dark blue finished the weapon. It seemed so… ordinary to the eye. It was no magically shining blade, dispelling the darkness around it. As in her vision there was rust beginning to gnaw at it.

But yet… Zelda felt an… intelligence to the blade… and the slow pulse of dormant power. A steady susurrus told of this weapon's ancient accomplishments. It spoke to her of the sword's immense age, older, it seemed, than time itself.

As if in a trance, she reached for it. The closer she got, the clearer she felt its character… for all its magnificent power it was… gentle… Zelda had felt this gentleness before…

Her fingers slowly wrapped around the hilt. Some of its dormancy seemed to abate… she was almost sure she could feel it vibrating. She didn't even think about trying to pull it out of the stone… it wasn't hers! The sword tolerated her, but it would not follow her. It already had a master.

"Who?" she asked simply.

The sheer force of the images hit her like lightning. Her hand cramped around the sword-handle and she couldn't have released it even if she wanted. She stood among burning ruins, feeling the heat on her skin, choking on the bone dry, ashen air. The skies were black as pitch, only occasionally a bolt of pure energy cut through the gloom and lighted the scene in harsh, unforgiving light. Zelda looked around frantically. Panic once again threatened to grip her as the flames seemed to draw ever closer. What hellish place was this?!

Suddenly she saw something she recognized. A stone basin with a plinth… a few metres away lay a carelessly broken off statue of the goddess Nayru…

With sudden, dreadful realization Zelda knew where she was…

Hyrule!

Then she felt something approaching. Her breath caught in her throat and her entire body started to tremble.

She looked up, her eyes wide in sheer terror. Above the flaming debris, floating like an angel of doom was It. Zelda could feel its leering grin of anticipation, rather than see it. It was waiting…

A sound made her whip around. She gasped, unable to believe her eyes. A man lay a few metres away. She could see multiple, dreadful wounds on his body

' _Link_?' she whispered, lost in abject horror… no… he was different. A young man, but older than him… she could see him clearer now. She saw that he was battered, but not beaten. The light in his eyes was not yet gone. Gritting his teeth he stood up. Zelda could see how painful it must be for him. His right arm was clearly broken. Large parts of his tunic were gone, seared away by merciless flames…

Their faces were so alike… His features, now contorted with pain, were so uncannily similar… it bit at her soul to see this man so hurt… but with every second Zelda grew more certain that it wasn't him.

Still… cyclical reappearance…

The young man suddenly looked at her and his face grew hateful. No… he wasn't looking at her, but at her feet!

Zelda looked down… and saw herself! She was lying unconsciously on the ground, also hurt, dirty and burned but breathing. She was older too and her features were ever so slightly different…

Cyclical reappearance… why would only evil return and not the fighters for good?

The young man bent down, gritting his teeth. Zelda was not surprised to see what he had picked up… a blade with a dark blue handle. But this one shimmered in mighty, righteous light.

The youth reset his gaze on his enemy and with one last deep breath he threw himself back into battle.

The vision ended and Zelda was snapped back into reality so hard she collapsed. Her father and Impa were immediately upon her, fearing another panic attack. This time though, she felt almost calm. The images… no, the past she had witnessed had been terrifying, true. However, they had granted her a lot of understanding and it fanned the flames of her resolve. Not only this personified evil would be reborn. She, too, had had a kind of resurgence. And she was not alone…

Both indescribable relief and immense sorrow flooded her soul, threatening to tear it apart. She would not be alone in this fight. She had already found her most powerful ally and he had found her. But he too would have to go through this suffering. He too would have to combat this Threat. His life of innocence would end.

She was unable to decide between the two emotions that wrestled within her…

When she opened her eyes she looked deeply into the concerned stares of her father and Impa.

"It is him. He is the one. I must bring him here to meet his fate."


	26. Chapter 25

**Hey guys and girls! Chapter 25 already, it's progressing nicely. And I've cracked the 100.000 words mark, yay! I'd like to thank all of you for your overwhelmingly positive reaction! Your reviews, favourites and follows are a great pleasure and have really kept me going. Best audience I could hope for with my mindless drivel. :D**

 **Without further ado:**

Chapter 25

Link

With a gasp Link started awake.

Zelda!

He scrambled out of bed, donned whatever clothes he could find in breathless haste, grabbed his sword and yanked open the door to his chamber.

Then he halted. And thought…

The overwhelming terror he had felt her endure had stopped as abruptly as it had emerged… Her fear had clawed at his flesh and soul, ripping him out of his sleep. This had been no mere dream! Once before he had had such a nightmare, when he was still back in Ord. He had seen Zelda erupt in light, tearing through the swirling, surrounding darkness.

This was different… He had seen her, as clearly as he saw the sword in his hand. She was lying on the ground amidst flaming ruin, hurt, unconscious. The mere memory of it made him grind his teeth. For a heart-stopping moment, he had thought her lost… Suddenly he had known who had done this to her, who was responsible for this unspeakable crime. He had gripped the sword in his hand with iron strength. He too had been hurt, but he cared not for the pain. His enemy was clear before him. The sight of the… monstrosity that hovered grinning over all the destruction he had wrought had turned Link's blood to ice. Unspeakable evil that even the flames of hell had spat back out leered down at him and the one he was charged to protect. He had, one final time, raised his sword, for he knew that the next attack would decide it all. Link hadn't recognized the strange, light-filled sword he had wielded… but in the 'dream' it still, irrefutably, had been his.

The scene had suddenly collapsed, he had heard Zelda's startled shriek and he had awoken, filled to the brim with tempestuous battle-fury.

But the danger he had felt, the threat that had almost overcome them was no longer present. What had he witnessed? Initially it had seemed like a scene he just witnessed, but as it progressed, he more and more became an integral part of it… lived in it. He had felt his body, battered and broken, but still undeniably his. The righteous ire that had held his resolve together with fiery intensity had also been his. He had clearly felt Zelda's presence with him in this hellish landscape… Link couldn't describe it… he had seen her lying there, motionless… but she had also been close, awake… afraid. It was that fear that had startled him out of bed… he could still feel its echo. But it was slowly abating, thank the goddess! But he had no doubt that it had been real. The dread that had speared his heart so painfully could not have been just a figment of his sleeping mind. It had been a cry for help and he'd heard it…

And now what?

What had she experienced that frightened her so? Could it have been a simple nightmare? Unlikely… he didn't think her so easily afeared of a mere dream… What then?

The slight absurdity of the situation began to make itself known in his mind. He didn't even know where she was… how could he have ever reached her? If a real menace had been the cause of this alarm, what could he have done?

He clandestinely looked down the dark, empty hallway. It had to be midnight, or close after… everything was calm, except for his still racing heart.

He slowly released the breath he had been holding and relaxed his stance. Whatever it had been, it was over. And while he wanted nothing more than to find Zelda, make sure that she was alright and give her the comfort she undoubtedly needed right now, he had to settle for knowing that no immediate danger was upon her.

Link took another deep breath and stood up straight. He felt a bit of an idiot, now, scrambling around like a panicked mouse when he had no way of reaching the one he meant to aid. Hopefully he hadn't woken anybody up…

Even though he felt the urge to go and try to search the entire castle for Zelda, he knew it to be a pointless endeavour… they wouldn't even let him into the stronghold. Why would they? Nothing had happened… nothing that anyone beside him and her had witnessed.

Link looked down on himself after he had finally stepped back inside his chamber. With a slightly embarrassed chuckle he noticed that not only had he put on his tunic backwards, his right arm wasn't even in its sleeve!

Behold! Link, the half-naked hero of Hyrule! That would have been a slightly awkward rescue mission…

Now Link _really_ felt like an idiot…

"Nothing new there…" he mumbled to himself. He laid his sword back on its place and removed his rather ineffectual clothing again. As he sat down on his bed a feeling of helplessness overcame him.

What if a real threat invaded Zelda's life again? What then? Would he once again be yanked out of his sleep? If they were the same assassins that had assaulted her in the arena, he'd have no time to get to her, even if he knew where she was! They'd reach her before him and… He couldn't finish the thought, it was unbearable.

… and even if he reached her in time, would he even be able to do anything? Would he, once again, be so lucky? Would this dreadful, merciless cold overcome him again that had given him so much power? What if it didn't? He feared it now… what if it made him hesitate just a split second too long?

Thoughts of doubt raced through his head, agitated by the echo of the anxiety that had whisked him out of bed.

The last few days had been like a dream… calm, serene… he had found the most beautiful star of the entire firmament…

But this nightmare, this vision had brutally reminded him in how much danger this enchanting angel truly was… To think that something, someone was out there right this moment, lurking in the shadows, waiting for the next chance to try to end this precious life… it both chilled him to the bone and awoke the fires of his rage.

But, again, what could he do? He was fifteen! A knight-aspirant, maybe, but nobody would take him seriously enough if he turned up at the stronghold's gate, spluttering about a danger to the princess that he couldn't even explain. Maybe, after they realized that he was the one who had saved her during the massacre in the arena, they would let him pass and sound the alarm, but even that was doubtful. And by then it would be too late… He could be the best swordsman there ever was, it wouldn't matter. He was still just some boy, a bumpkin without a drop of noble blood in his veins…

Powerless…

The thought depressed him. Not because he lamented his low birth, of course, but because he was so hopelessly far from her from a social aspect. It would, sooner or later, lead to problems… whether it was because he had no authority to help him protect her, or because it would make the continuation of their burgeoning romance difficult… both were matters close to his heart…

Aargh! Useless pondering again! He roughened up his hair, as if he was trying to rub these tantalizing thoughts out of his head.

Then Link got mad at himself.

Really? You're going to let social class stand in your way now, you worthless idiot? What the hell is wrong with you? If Zelda is in danger, you go save her! Period! Door guards? You moping imbecile will let door guards stop you with their condescending sneers? Are you serious?!

Link had jumped up from the bed and was pacing, breathing heavily. Goddess damn it, now he wanted something to punch… mostly himself. Beat some sense into that brain of his that wanted to drown itself in apathetic sorrow.

Pull yourself together, arsehole! There is no – _no_ – justification for not being at her side when she needs you! And by Din's smoking hellfire, you will stand by her or you will forever hate yourself! And you would be right to do so!

Unbidden, a slightly ashamed grin crept onto his lips. Hark! The half-naked hero of Hyrule, talking to himself while pacing like a madman! He felt like such a moron… But at least his strict anger at himself had vaporized the creeping depression that had threatened to shackle him.

With a silent laugh he remembered the lesson he had given Zelda about the wonderful world of expletives.

"Fuck nightmares, fuck those inbred nobles and their influence and fuck fucking door guards, stupid little shits that they are!" he hissed out his window. His neighbours, if had they been awake, would probably have heard him. Link didn't care; at least now they have something to think about.

It did feel good to spit these things out… maybe he should listen to his own advice more often.

"And piss on you, brain, for being such useless, whiny sludge!" he chuckled, knocking his knuckles against his head.

As his ire against his own self-indulgent lamenting slowly abated, he felt considerably calmer than he had before. Social status was a problem, aye. It would be foolish to think otherwise. But even more foolish was the notion that it was an insurmountable obstacle. He had identified the problem. Now he'd work on the solution.

Link looked up at the night sky. No light yet in sight… maybe one or two in the morning.

With a sudden twitch he realized that he didn't know whether he would see Zelda today. They hadn't agreed to another date last evening! Amidst all the emotion that crackled through their brains, they had completely forgotten. At least he had…

Link found that it didn't particularly perturb him. He knew that she was resourceful, more even than him, another detail he loved about her. She would find him when she wanted.

He looked at his bed. Sleep was unlikely, he knew. He had pondered, then raged himself into complete wakefulness. Might as well use it!

There were still a multitude of weapons Sir Alistair hadn't made him try until his bones cracked. Might as well get a head start!

By the time the sun had risen, Link was drenched in sweat. Having the huge training hall all to himself had at first been intimidating, then exhilarating. He had tried the curved blades of the Gerudo, mimicking their acrobatic, heavy slashes, then had found an enormous axe that, at the first swing, had flown out of his hands and had imbedded itself deeply into one of the chests lining the walls. For a few, nerve-wracking moments he had been sure the racket would have alarmed the entire castle, but there had been no reaction whatsoever. Link, after spending a minute trying to wrench the thing out of the tough wood, resumed his attempts at handling the heavy weapon. His success was limited, as he was ready to admit himself. Learning a new weapon from scratch all by oneself was incredibly difficult. The often subtle ways to change your footing, your stance, the tricks to making its use faster and safer… without a teacher you had to find out by trial and error. And error usually meant either destroying something or in the worst case, hurting yourself. At least Link hadn't managed that particular failure…

Still, it was fascinating. Sir Alistair wasn't that much stronger than him… but he could swing these heavy weapons significantly faster and with frightful accuracy. Next time he used something like this, Link would have to pay closer attention… in addition to not getting killed during their sparring.

After about 3 and a half hours of training, Link was now, finally ready for bed. He could hear the knight's compound slowly wake up as the sun started to shine through the large windows. He took that as a sign that it was time to stop. His willingness to be watched by others while he was bungling around with arms he wasn't used to was rather limited. In the end, he felt that he had at least familiarized himself with how these weighty weapons should be handled. The better he got at fighting in general, the more he realized that almost all these weapons worked similarly enough that he could use his considerable knowledge at arming swords. Use a little more weight here, change the way you stepped a bit there… as long as you understood the principal advantages and disadvantages of a weapon, you could translate many of your trained skills between them. They looked different, they felt different, but in the end they worked very alike.

Link was happy with himself. He wouldn't call his gain in understanding today a breakthrough, but it certainly prove valuable if he ever needed to use an unfamiliar weapon in the field.

Completely wet with sweat, he decided to use the bathing rooms today. Until now the idea of washing himself together with – potentially – dozens of men had held very little gusto. Frankly, he admitted to himself, he felt a bit embarrassed. He was no stranger to the moronic talk of men and boys who played at being men in showers. And, as most boys his age, he wondered about the… adequacy of his body…

But not today! He didn't know whether being with Zelda had given him a surge in confidence, or whether he was just tired and didn't care.

Finding the bathing room was easy enough. Some of the older knights were already there, apparently also interested in avoiding the tedious… 'length-battles' of younger peers. It was a pleasant room, all in all. White stone walls, a few lead glass windows that couldn't be looked through… not the opulent baths that some nobles liked to brag with. On one side was a simple fountain that constantly supplied fresh water, on the other was a large pool of apparently warm water for soaking. After having undressed completely, Link grabbed a wooden bucket, dunked it into the fountain's basin and then dumped the whole thing over his head. As he had both feared and hoped, the water was ice cold. He heard a low chuckle of one of the other bathers and looked around. The aging man threw him an admiring nod. Link grinned sheepishly and repeated the process. He scrubbed himself clean from head to toe with soap and sponge, then dried himself off. He had no interest in joining the other men in the hot tub. He did, however, notice something that pleased him greatly. If he looked around at the others, he was approximately of medium height, maybe just a little bit below. He had always felt a bit short… apparently the last weeks had brought a growth spurt with them? He hoped that it would be the last…

Feeling wonderfully clean and fresh, clad only in his towel, he returned to his chamber. He picked a greenish tunic and was about to drop the towel when he halted mid-movement. Lightning quick he reached for his sword and drew it.

"You have a second to explain why you're in my room." he said threateningly. He couldn't see anyone… but he knew… _behind_!

Link whipped around and swung his weapon at the intruder, stopping a millimetre away from her throat.

"To bring news, hero." she said quickly, clearly startled.

"You perverted old crone!" he hissed, extremely annoyed. "This is the second time you sneak up on me like this. Give me a good reason not to believe you my enemy, or I promise you there won't be a third."

Carefully, not making any sudden movement, she reached upwards to pull back her hood, revealing her tanned, deeply lined face. She lowered her arms again, her palms towards him, as if in supplication. Her blood red eyes gazed deeply into his. If you looked past the unsettling colour, Link found them to be sad and honest…

"I apologize. It was not my intention to alarm you, but I can not allow anyone to see me. If our enemies learned of my being here, they might redouble their efforts. I come bearing a plea from my princess." she said, speaking carefully. Apparently she took his threat seriously. Good! She should!

Link was wary of this woman. He had felt on his own body how dangerous she was. He had twice been caught unaware by her uncanny skill at hiding. Her modus operandi reminded him critically of the assassins in white that had so very nearly succeeded at taking Zelda's life. Her eyes showed no betrayal… but Link wasn't confident in his senses enough to trust only them with this most vital decision. He could not allow a mistake…

"Before you say your piece, I need to know. You assault me on the north road, speak vaguely of a great threat and say that I need to be a 'protector'. A few days later the princess is attacked and nearly murdered by assassins employing stealth. All that stood between her and that grim fate was me. Now you claim to be sent by her… forgive me, but my will to trust you is rather taxed at the moment. So I will say it again: Give me a good reason not to believe you my enemy." Link said with a deadly cold voice.

She seemed to think what to say. Her eyes turned hard. "My name is Impa of the Shiekah clan. Our purpose is to guard the knowledge of the Threat and the great calamity it has caused two millennia ago. My undying allegiance is to the princess, as it has always been. I do not want my loyalty questioned again, hero." she growled. She has some nerve, thought Link. But again, he could feel nothing but honesty.

If this woman was the enemy, she was a hopelessly ineffectual one… twice she could have easily killed him, stabbing him in the back, but didn't. Especially after he had proven to be a serious threat to their plans at the arena, one of them would have probably done away with him without hesitation. She hadn't.

He could also sense the genuine indignation radiating from her upon hearing his accusation.

Link now hesitated himself. If he lowered his sword, he was not sure he would survive if she attacked. If he didn't he potentially angered one of Zelda's allies. Was he being foolish or too suspicious?

Following his heart, more than his brain, he slowly moved his blade away from her throat. For a few seconds he cynically awaited her sudden movement and a stabbing pain.

The old crone sighed in apparent relief. "I thank you for your trust. It is more than I have received most of my life. But, still, I urge you not to lose that suspicious mind of yours, hero." she said with a serious nod.

Link bristled at the 'hero'. "Stop calling me that. I do not want my trust to be repaid with sarcastic remarks and name-calling!" he snapped, but sheathed his sword.

She looked at him in surprise. "I apologize, but I was not being sarcastic." she affirmed enigmatically.

"Tell me the princess' plea." he asked, not wanting to waste any more time.

She nodded. "Very well. I will tell you in her own words: 'Link, please come to our forest at midday. I will wait for you at the location of our greatest battle!' That is all." Impa told him, smiling almost motherly.

Link was confused. Not about the message, naturally, that was immediately obvious to him. It also really sounded like Zelda's type of humour, lending further credence to the… Shiekah was it?... the Shiekah's words.

What he didn't understand is why she would send this formidable warrioress to send such a simple message. It would be easy for her to, for example, let Saria send a note via an errand-boy. And the time she proposed was odd too. She knew his schedule, he was sure. Zelda seemed like the inquisitive type of person who knew the daily routine of everyone in the castle. Why would she want to meet him then, so he'd most certainly miss Sir Alistair's lecture?

These discrepancies worried him. She wouldn't do all this on a whim, she was too thoughtful for that…

He couldn't hold back his curiosity. "Why does she want to see me?" he asked the old woman.

A twitch of a grin played around the corners of her mouth. "Apart from the obvious reason?" she counter-questioned slyly.

Link's face grew stony. Of course this… spy would know of them. That's probably one of the reasons why she sent her. But he would not abide this mischievous grin, not from her! "You claim to have undying loyalty to Zelda, yet you insult her with such a careless remark. This is strictly her business and mine and no-one else's. You will keep quiet about this." It was not an order. It was a statement. He had kept his voice low, but his words were hard as steel. This was too sensitive a topic, especially for Zelda, to allow gormless banter.

To his grim satisfaction that Impa looked shocked. She lowered her gaze and said: "I ask both you and the princess for forgiveness. I did not mean to be disrespectful. My shadowy ways, I'm afraid, translate poorly to skill with words." Then she looked back into his eyes and smiled softly. "I admire your protectiveness, hero. I can sense she will be in good hands." the old woman said mysteriously. Link was suddenly abashed by the unexpected compliment. He hadn't shown all too much respect either… His doubts that this crone truly was an ally of Zelda's were minimal now.

"I, too, must apologize." he said grudgingly. "It appears I become hot-headed at certain topics…"

She waved it away with a tired, sad smile.

"Why does she want to see me? Why send you to deliver such a simple message?" he asked again, now considerably more relaxed.

"My princess has expressly forbidden me from telling any details. She said that she wanted to be the one to explain everything to you. That it was her duty…"

Now Link was really worried! That sounded almost as if…

His young heart nearly went into arrest. Goddess, was she breaking up with him? Had he done something wrong? Had he only imagined that the strong connection he felt to her was mutual? Had he been lying to himself?

… no, that couldn't be it. The moment of blind panic passed and, not for the first time today, Link felt like an idiot. This most certainly was not the purpose of this odd meeting. He was positive that she shared his feelings at least somewhat… The way she had snuggled up to him when he had embraced her… It had spoken to him on so many emotional levels… It was simply impossible that he had misread her so utterly. And he was also sure beyond doubt that she wouldn't just surrender their blossoming relationship without fighting like a she-tiger, even if the king were to order her to.

He felt deeply ashamed for this moment of mistrust. Zelda certainly didn't deserve it, not in the slightest. Link hoped it had been a figment of his tired, overwrought mind, filled with residual suspicion for the strange pervy crone. Or, he thought with a tiny smile of amusement, it was yet another proof of that enchanting angel's talent to turn his brain into witless soup of idiocy.

"So, I won't be able to pry any information from you, then?" he ventured, trying his utmost not to let this little panic attack show on his face.

Another tiny sad smile. "All I can tell you is that she needs you, he-… Link. Fate has brought you two together. It was no chance meeting. She will request your support. The question is: what will you answer?" she mused, inscrutable.

Link didn't even have to think. He stood up perfectly straight and gazed at his unwanted guest sternly. "Allow me to quote you. My undying allegiance is to the princess. I do not want my loyalty questioned again." he said calmly, but severely.

Impa chuckled softly. "Undying allegiance… from any other fifteen year old couple, this would sound laughably foolish and naïve…"

Link blushed deeply at 'couple'. He also was about to throw this insufferable woman out of the window for her mocking words, but before he could so much as growl, she continued. "But… and that is the strangest thing… I believe you. Something intangible tells me that your words are not mindless bravado, nor do they stem from honest, but fleeting emotionality. There is something in your eyes, hers and yours... some ancient sincerity…" she uttered, seemingly lost in thought as she studied his eyes.

Link felt seriously uncomfortable. It angered him that she would, even for an instant, consider his statement to be dishonest or naïve. And then that remark about how she deemed him sincere nonetheless… as if she knew more about him than he did. It made his skin crawl. "Well, I assume it is sometimes difficult to judge character while hiding in the shadows." he said scathingly.

The Shiekah showed an amused grin. "True. Yet, unseen and unheard, you witness a lot of dishonesty, a lot of deceit from people who think they are unwatched. In those subjects I consider myself an expert, though, admittedly, their opposites might elude my judgement." she countered.

Link looked at her stone-faced, then sighed. This crone had offended him on several levels, but it would seem that he was unable to breach her cocoon of calm with provocation. He decided to swallow his anger, difficult as it may be, for it would not help matters. He felt he was already teetering on the edge of pettiness, something that disgusted him. It clashed with the code of chivalry, certainly, but this was a level he didn't want to stoop to even if he was the lowest of beggars.

"Very well, then." he said calmly, trying to steer back to a topic that was more in line with his interests. "You care for Zelda, as do I. I think I've made myself clear already. But if not, I hereby promise you that I will do whatever I can to give her the support she needs. Whether it is as mere protector or… more." he announced and meant every word. A small but powerful voice in his head said 'Goddess, let it be more…'

Aloud he continued: "Until midday, I intend to rest, so I can be ready. I assume you do not also want to watch me sleep?" He wasn't able to keep the sarcasm out of his voice completely…

She raised an amused eyebrow. "How very enticing. But no, I have intruded enough. Ah, and rest assured that I will not follow either of you during the day. My princess has been most adamant about that…" she finished with a sly grin.

Link couldn't help but smile a little himself. Thoughtful as he had come to expect. Zelda had just earned an extra kiss!

Link was on his way, somewhat better rested. After the… talk with the crone sleep, once again, hadn't come all too willingly. But at least he judged himself capable of rational thought again… a rather dubious claim, a nasty voice in his mind nagged…

He was nervous. Not so much because he was going to meet this marvellous girl again, and sooner than he'd hoped… okay, lies, that too! The thought of seeing her again still excited him beyond belief. But also because it was obvious that something was amiss. Link clearly remembered how Zelda seemed to nearly quake in apprehension yesterday and felt his own tension rise in turn. He so much had wanted to help her, even if it was just listening to her troubles… Seeing her try to bottle it up but shake with the building pressure had nearly brought tears to his eyes for feeling helpless. But he, grudgingly, had accepted it when she told him that she wasn't ready to tell him. He knew that it was her business whether she wanted to confide in him and he trusted her judgement, even though he suspected she was being too strong for her own good.

Link strongly presumed that whatever was so urgent today was the same thing that had bothered her yesterday. What had she found out that now she had to tell him, and fast? He did not think her prone to hasty overreacting, she was too smart for that. What was it then? Was it wild speculation to think it involved the group that had attacked her? Had she learned something about them? If that was the case, what did she want him for? He had saved her, true enough, but what service could he now provide that her legions of guards, agents and spies couldn't?

The closer he got to the wild little forest, and the more he mused about the significance of it all, the more nervous he got. When he passed through the royal gardens he felt like others should be able to hear him vibrate with tension. He wasn't sure whether he should play it nonchalantly or try to dash from cover to cover… though he imagined, if he tried to act cool while his thoughts were racing like this, he'd probably look laughably suspicious. He'd only have to whistle a mindless tune to make the picture of 'obviously up to something' perfect.

Link passed through the hole in the hedge that she had shown him and reached the rickety wooden gate. With a little grin he kicked the spot that was already dented from Zelda's frequent ministrations and it swung open.

Before him was the fascinating little virgin forest, but no Zelda. She was probably a little further in, out of sight, he'd imagine.

He closed the gate behind him, descended the last few steps and entered the jungle.

The way to the fountain was as brambly as before, though something had changed a little bit. Link thought that, from the way some branches were broken and some plants were stepped on, more than one person must have come through here recently. He wasn't sure what that meant. Did whatever she want to tell him have something to do with this place? He knew how much it meant to her…

Link emerged into the clearing with the fountain. Zelda lay on the rim of the fountain, eyes closed. For one heart-stopping moment he wasn't sure if something had happened to her, but it started beating again when he noticed her breathing peacefully. He exhaled deeply, trying to calm his suddenly shaking knees. She was only sleeping! Goddess damn my overwrought, hysterical mind!

He didn't know how to approach her. Should he try making noise so she'd wake up or be as silent as possible and let her sleep a little. Thankfully the decision didn't need to be made. Zelda sighed, opened her eyes slightly and saw him, looking a little uncomprehending.

Then she started up. "You're here already? What time is it? Did you just arrive?" she asked hastily, trying to tug her clothes back into place where they had become disorderly, at least according to her. Link certainly couldn't see the difference, she looked as perfect as ever. He was still light headed from relief that she was alright. But she did seem flushed that he had caught her napping, which amused him.

"It's alright!" he assured her, chuckling. "I just got here. I didn't know whether I should interrupt your little nap. You looked so peaceful."

Zelda looked at him, her dissatisfaction at herself clearly written on her face. Apparently this had not been how she had imagined their meeting, Link thought, suppressing more giggling. She had obviously fallen asleep without wanting to. He could now see the hint of dark circles below her eyes.

"You look tired." he said and immediately wanted to slap himself. Great start, idiot! He'd said it out of concern, naturally, but still…

She looked at him levelly for a second, then her elegant eyebrow twitched up questioningly. "Why thank you, I'm glad you noticed! You don't, annoyingly." she grumbled, but with a tiny crooked smile.

Another tiny wave of relief washed over him. Apparently he hadn't completely buggered it up already. Despite her plainly visible bleary-eyedness, she still wasn't overly touchy.

Well, taking the bull by the horns, as usual! "Clever ploy, by the way." he said with an appreciative nod.

"What is?" she asked with a frown of confusion.

"You, draping yourself here so artfully, waiting for me and hoping I'd wake you with a kiss… good plan, would have worked!" he explained, smirking.

It took her a second to turn her bemused expression into an amused, eyebrow-raised quizzical grin. "Good thing it didn't, then. It might have given you all the wrong impressions." she uttered.

Now it was Link's turn to look confused… he had no idea what that had meant. Even more bewildering was that Zelda seemed to question the meaning of her own words too. She hung her head and gave a defeated chuckle. "Sorry, that was just terrible! I'm afraid I won't be able to keep up with your banter today… as you so gracefully noticed, I haven't gotten much sleep tonight."

Link stepped closer to her in answer. He was once again smitten by her angelic appearance. She wore her golden hair more open today, which he greatly enjoyed. Only the ends of those magnificently shimmering strands were bound together so they wouldn't waft all over the place. She wore a similar outfit to yesterday, but it was a little more… royal. More colourful, mostly blues instead of brown and white and the crest of her house was stitched in at her shoulders.

Trousers again, he noticed with a delighted grin. Those legs really needed to be shown… at least to him.

He bent down and gave her a quick peck on the cheek before she looked back up. He kept his face a few centimetres in front of hers and smiled at her mischievously. For a second she seemed surprised, then a bashful smirk crept on her lips. "Is that all I get?" she whispered, blushing deeply.

"Oh well, if you insist…" he said before assaulting her with a much more passionate kiss.

Zelda sighed deeply, almost as if in relief. It was such a cute sound that he had to consciously hold himself back or he might have gone further. And even though every part of his body wanted him to do just that, his mind knew that this was neither the time nor the place. She had called him here, urgently… it must be important.

After a few all too short seconds he moved away again to look at her stunning face. Even tired she looked like an angel! Link was immensely proud that this simple little kiss had, at least for the moment, replaced her worried expression with a tranquil one.

And for my next trick…

He sat down next to her on the stone rim and put his arm around her. After an instant of hesitation she leaned towards him and rested her head on his shoulder.

"You have no idea how much I'd love to fall asleep now…" she mumbled, her eyes closed.

Link felt so sorry for her… clearly something had her worried enough that it had kept her up at night. He could feel how tense her muscles were, even when she tried to relax. He, too, was getting more worried by the minute, reacting subconsciously to her apprehension. But he'd be damned if he let her feel that. He'd have to make her feel calm. Today, more than ever, he'd have to give her all the comfort, all the support he could possibly muster.

He cleared his throat. "Well, if we get this over with quickly, we can just return here and you can nap on my shoulder all you want…" he said softly.

She smiled a tiny bit and nodded. Sighing, she sat back up straight. He could see on her face that her thoughts were racing about how to start.

"What has Impa told you?" she asked, looking at nothing straight ahead.

"I have actually met her before." he began. Zelda turned to him, surprised.

"Really! She, err… caught me, literally with my pants down, on the north road. Gave me quite a start…" He was delighted to watch he puzzled expression, trying to construct the scene he had just described in her head.

"She challenged me to a fight. She beat me quite decisively…" Link didn't quite know why he said that, but it just didn't feel honest to omit that detail.

"The old crone then said something about ancient evil that would soon arise. And… that I'd have to become the protector…" he felt slightly embarrassed repeating that seeming nonsense. He hoped that she wouldn't think him an idiot for even remembering those words.

"Today, though, she said nothing outlandish. Only that I should go to you and aid you…" he finished.

She nodded, lost in thought, still staring dead ahead. Now Link was getting really nervous. No smile, no movement… nothing he had just said was even remotely funny to her…

"I'm afraid, I must try to explain to you that everything she said is true…" she muttered. He didn't know how to react, didn't even know what to think… Clearly, she was being dead serious. She was trembling… Link could feel her fear as if it was his own. Her hesitation after each sentence betrayed an inner conflict. He saw how much she yearned for his support, yearned for not being alone… but he suspected she hated to involve him, especially if it was as dangerous as it sounded. She was the kind of person who'd rather shoulder everything herself, rather than endanger others…

For Link, however, there was no conflict whatsoever! He moved his hand towards hers that were balled to fists in her lap. He gently touched it until she loosened it and interlocked her fingers with his. He gave it a reassuring squeeze and thought he could feel her gratitude at the gesture alone. "Tell me!" he simply said, and was surprised at how calm his voice sounded.

And she told him.

She told him about this Threat, this great calamity that long ago had been banished, but never defeated. She recounted the horror she had encountered on the north road, the grasping, slashing darkness that immediately reminded him of the nightmare he'd had in the same night. She spoke of how she, miraculously, had vanquished this great shadow with a light that had come from deep inside her that defied explanation. She explained how the assassins that had sought her life were its agents and that their stepping out in the open could only mean that their master's re-emergence was close at hand. She described how everything, the sudden appearance of Bokoblins in the heartlands, the darkness, the assailants, the recent monster attack on the Gerudo, even the air of unease and mistrust, all of it was pointing in one direction: the resurgence of the Threat.

Link listened to her wordlessly, he hardly even blinked. Everything just bubbled out of her, all these causes for fear and worry and he felt so painfully overwhelmed with sorrow for how much weight this marvellous, innocent girl had to bear. Everything she said sounded unbelievable, crazy even… yet not for a second did he doubt her. She believed everything she said with heart and soul, even though it threatened to tear both apart.

She told him about her ability to perceive things of the past, present and future if she had a strong enough stimulus. Link could accept even that without a shimmer of disbelief. She didn't say it with the airs of funfair soothsayers that reeked of deceit… she said it like a shy confession, like a hesitant admission of something that deeply unsettled her.

His heart was quickening and his mouth was going dry when she described that she, in a vision, had seen this monstrosity, this ultimate evil. Her description had frightening similarity with the horror he had seen in today's dream. He felt her hands tremble like dry leaves in a storm… they were ice cold. He reached over to also take her other hand, to warm it, give her comfort.

She finished her explanation by saying what he'd, for reasons he couldn't explain, feared she'd say: that she would have to combat this Threat… that it was her destiny to stop it from bringing its destruction into the world once more.

Link thought about what to say for at least a minute, her shivering hands in his. He did not know why she thought that she, the young princess of Hyrule, the most stunningly beautiful creature on this world, needed to shoulder all of this. It was no vainglory. It frightened her to death!

In the end, he said one, simple sentence. "What must I do?"

For the first time during all her exposition, she looked at him. She looked him deep into the eyes… he could see hers slowly become full of tears and her lip quivered. Link turned on the stone rim so he faced her completely, embraced her and pressed her gently to his chest.

He could feel her fight her sobbing… she didn't want to cry in front of him… Link understood, but shook his head in gentle chiding. "What did you think I'd say, you dummy?" he hummed softly.

He heard her crunch her teeth trying to hold back tears and felt her grip his tunic. "I don't… I don't know…" she admitted, between rapid breaths. "I don't… I don't want to have to… involve you! But I can't do it… I can't do it on my own!" she sobbed.

"Shhhhh" Link calmed her. "All that energy wasted for worrying when all you need to do is ask. You did not truly believe that there was even a chance that I would leave to do this alone, did you? If you did, I'd have to re-evaluate your wisdom, Zelda…" he cooed, gently stroking her hair.

He let out a single breath of laughter. "You don't even know what awaits you!" she mumbled, her breath slowly calming.

"That is true, I don't. But it hardly matters to me. I'm a bit simple, you know? You need my help and I will give it. That is all there is." he assured. He could feel how hard she was struggling to regain her composure. He couldn't help but be filled with pity. She must have learned most of what she had told him only yesterday… her world must have collapsed in on itself. She, a fifteen year old girl, would go into battle against a… demigod of chaos and destruction! And here, with no-one around, she didn't even permit herself this show of emotion. Link couldn't even guess how much effort it cost her to ask him for his aid. No wonder she had been so desperately apprehensive…

At least she gave a weak little giggle. "You're an idiot." She breathed.

"Absolutely. But I'm your idiot."


	27. Chapter 26

This and the last one were originally meant to be one chapter, but I realized it would be way too long.

Enjoy.

BTW: Grüße an meine österreichischen Leser! Ihr seid überraschenderweise die 8. größte Gruppe, noch vor den Deutschen! Viel Spaß!

Chapter 26

Link

Link couldn't say how long they sat there, her in his arms, somewhere between crying and giggling from his silly line. Could be hours… could be minutes… he didn't care. He wouldn't let her go anyway until she had found back to her strength. When she had absorbed enough of his calm and was ready to continue onwards… not before.

He had to concentrate all his thoughts on her. He couldn't allow himself to think of the things she had just revealed to him, the danger that threatened to pervade their lives or he would have little calm left to give. If someone as strong-minded as Zelda was this terrified… and, he realized with sudden clarity, not only for herself but for him as well. Maybe even mostly for him… She had not yet revealed where he was supposed to fit in this puzzle, but her concern for him did not bode well.

Through sheer force of will he managed to keep his pulse down and his breathing tranquil, even though his thoughts were racing ominously.

Stop it! Clear your mind of this now! Right now, all that matters is that Zelda has a chance to recollect herself. The stress of the last few days could not be allowed to become a festering wound in her soul, and even less could he allow it to leave a scar. He didn't know the right way to help her, which made him angrily curse his lack of insight. But maybe for now giving her the peace to mend the stress-induced cracks in her psyche was enough. He hoped it was enough…

And even though the tension had nearly ripped her apart, her primary concern had been his worthless hide…

It did fit with her character that she would be more afraid for everybody else than for herself… Link mentally shook his head. 'Dummy!' he couldn't help thinking. He'd have to take care of her twice as fiercely, then…

Link could feel her breath softly against his chest. It had calmed…

He looked down at her, her face seemed placid and the extreme tightness of her muscles he had noticed had mostly faded.

"Are you asleep?" he whispered softly.

She made a tiny hum and slowly shook her head.

He placed a little kiss on the top of her head, allowing himself to breathe in the indescribably wonderful smell of her hair. It sent such a strong wave of serenity through him that he too felt like falling asleep, with her in his arms. He couldn't think of anything more beautiful…

It was fascinating, he thought. She too has such a powerful soothing effect on me… it's almost like we're made to support and encourage each other…

He saw the corners of her mouth rise into a tiny smile.

She stirred a little and Link could sense that she was ready to face the world again. He hoped that he was too…

He released her, reluctantly, and she sat up straight again. She glanced at him, blushed and lowered her head.

Link raised his finger under her nose. "None of that, you!" he said in mock sternness. "If you even think of saying 'I'm sorry' I'll have to hold your head under the fountain until I've washed all of that nonsense out of it!"

He grinned at her surprised expression and was relieved to see her smile a second later. "Maybe you should…" she said glumly.

Goddess damn it, girl, snap out of it! Apparently I have to shock you to get your spirits flowing again!

"Okay then, lets do it. You should undress." he said nonchalantly, standing up, rubbing his hands together in anticipation.

"What?!" Zelda asked, slightly flabbergasted.

Link spoke slowly and carefully, as if to a child. "Your clothes. They're going to get wet when I scrub the 'Sorry' out of your skull. Off with them." he commanded, his faux expression of innocence cracking already.

She just stared at him, lost for words. He could see her face slowly turn red as a tomato. "What on earth are you…?" she whispered, unable to continue.

Then it seemed to dawn on her. Link couldn't hold it in any longer and exploded out laughing. He bent over, holding his stomach. "Your face… its glorious…" he breathed between convulsions.

Zelda furiously swiped a handful of ice-cold water at him. "You fiend!" she shrieked, but couldn't keep the chuckling away either. "I should drown you right now, you letch. If only that wouldn't spoil this fountain forever with your nastiness…" she yelled, sending another splash of water his way.

Link bent backwards, his arms outstretched as if welcoming any punishment that could come from her. "I always knew you wished to bathe me. Go ahead! Should I undress too?" he laughed.

"You utter slime of a pig of a prancing, predatory, priapic pervert!" she shouted, now too lost completely in a giggle fit.

"Hey now, it wasn't me who suggested we go skinny dipping. That was a rather more royal decree!" he countered, gasping for breath. He also had no idea what 'priapic' meant, but he decided to take it for a compliment.

"Stop… mercy! I can't… breathe…" she wheezed, holding her stomach.

Link decided to be merciful… this once. Mostly because he didn't want to go too far… He wasn't only bent over because of his struggle for breath now. He also endeavoured to hide something that, at the thought of skinny dipping with Zelda, threatened to spring into action… After all he'd just said, mostly in jest, it wouldn't do to let that be shown…

Thankfully, it took quite a while for her to return her giggling fit back under control. Else he'd have had to jump into the cold water…

When Zelda had fully regained her mastery over her laughing muscles, Link grinned at her widely. "Better?" he asked playfully.

She stepped close, smiling, stood on her tiptoes and gave him a quick kiss. "You have no idea how much…" she mumbled, her cheeks pink.

While Link was busy wondering how even a quick peck from her managed to send his brain into shutdown, she looked at the fountain. "We should move on. There's still a lot I must show you…" she uttered, subdued but determined.

Link was relieved to see that his improvised ministrations had helped her reassemble her resolve. "I am ready." he affirmed.

Zelda gave him a quick smile, then walked over to the basin right next to Nayru's statue. She stepped on the rim and stretched upwards. Apparently she meant to reach for the goddess' hand, but she was too short by about 15 centimetres. Link wondered what she was doing when she made an annoyed grunt. "Of all the things…" she huffed and looked at him, apparently measuring his height. Link was pretty sure he could touch the steel hand, but not its skyward palm. He didn't even know what to look for. But, sly fox that he was, he had a most brilliant idea that would benefit them all. Especially him…

He stepped close to her, called by her asking gaze. She stepped back down to let him try, but he had different plans. He, quick as a weasel, stepped behind her, grabbed her waist and lifted her up before she could even react. With a, to him, hilarious yelp of protest he sat her down on his shoulders. He waited a second to let her regain her balance. "Comfy?" he asked mischievously.

"Hardly. We can add 'Assault on royalty' to the ever growing list of charges against you. Would you ever like to get back out of the dungeons?" she growled with a mix between indignation and grudgingly admitted delight.

"That depends on whether you ever want to see me again, princess. Else you'd have to come down to my cell." he mused, looking up slightly, but he couldn't see her face from this angle… a critical flaw of this plan, he thought amusedly.

She gave a noble little snort. "Maybe I could also just start a life of deplorability, step in your footsteps… follow you down into your deep pit of dishonour, as it were. Maybe I'd be thrown into the cell next to you?" she grumbled.

Link raised his hand to his chin in a exaggerated thinking pose. "Hmmm, I _might_ be persuaded to even share a cell with you… If you ask the warden nicely, he might even put a second bunk in… else you'll sleep on the floor." he said, pointing over his head right at her.

Zelda awarded his kind words with a little whack over the head, which he thoroughly enjoyed. "Bring me closer to the hand already, you insufferable pest!" she chuckled in defeat.

Link grabbed her ankles so he could hold her in case she fell and stepped obediently on the rim. He twisted his head trying to see what she was doing. "Its some sort of switch or button…" he heard her mutter. At least she was now easily high enough to fiddle about on the goddess' palm. After a brief search, something made an audible click and the water stopped. Observing how quickly the water drained, he said: "Aw, that's a pity…"

He felt her nod. "It is. But there's a reason. Get me to the other hand!" she commanded.

Gentleman that Link was, he made sure to make the short ride over as bumpy and twisty as possible. Zelda was forced to hold on to his head which brought him great glee.

"I'll single-handedly tear all of your hair out, if you don't stop that!" she hissed between anger and joy.

"And here I thought you liked my hair. Guess I really should cut it… or better yet, shave it off completely…" he pondered aloud.

"Hair stays, goddess damn it!" she ordered threateningly while grabbing two handfuls of it.

'Angelic caresses…' Link thought to himself, smiling. He stepped onto the rim of the other side of the basin. This one took Zelda only a few second before there was another click.

Half the basin's floor slid away to reveal a winding staircase cut into rough stone. Link thought he might have just stepped into a fantasy novel. Who would build something like this? And what could be hidden in such a place?

"Can… can you let me down now?" a voice from above asked shyly.

"Oh… sorry." He reached his arms back up and lifted her off his shoulders back onto the ground. She was so delightfully light… or maybe he'd gotten a lot stronger over the last few weeks…

She brushed imaginary dust off her trousers. "Well, if I ever need quick and cheap transportation…" she started, leaving it deliberately unfinished.

"You'll think of this trusty old pack mule. But careful! He loves to throw off anyone who doesn't behave!"

She turned and looked at his face. She had an immensely cute impishly-raised-eyebrow expression. "Well, in that case I think I'll need to be extra cautious…" she purred. Link nearly fainted at that combination. "If you don't stop that right away, even the most dutiful pack mule might get ill-behaved." he promised her, feeling his cheeks become rather flushed.

Unfortunately – or luckily, depending on how you see it – Zelda, instead of answering looked towards the dark opening in the basin. Her face instantly turned glum.

Link swallowed his excitement reluctantly and stepped beside her.

"Ready?" he asked, the ominous black hole filling him with apprehension.

"Ready!" she answered, taking his hand and giving it a quick squeeze.

Zelda had thought of everything, it seemed. A few steps down, still flooded with sunlight, she had stashed two torches and a box of matchsticks. They descended into the dark, Link in front, fascinated and at the same time a bit frightened.

"So, what _is_ down here?" he asked.

She hesitated a few seconds before answering. "A temple, devoted to a sacred relic. A sword to banish evil…" she muttered.

A sword? Interesting… "That sounds helpful. Remind me: this Threat… why does it come back?"

Another moment of hesitation. "I don't know. I don't think we can know. Possibly it is a being that is reborn through an accumulation of all sinister deeds ever committed… Maybe it is a cosmic balance to our three creator-goddesses… a god of chaos and destruction… Obviously It was defeated before, 2000 years ago. But something in me knows that It is much, much older than that…" she trailed off.

"And the sword is the weapon created to destroy it?" Link wanted to know.

"So it appears. It too is of unfathomable age. I… it spoke to me when I touched it." Zelda said.

They had reached the bottom of the stairs and he turned around to face her with an inquisitive expression. She seemed to misinterpret it as doubting, for she heatedly said: "I'm not making it up! There is an intelligence sleeping within it!"

He raised a calming hand. "I do not doubt you. In fact, I have a theory… Is it a two edged blade with a blue, wing-like cross guard and a shining golden gem?" he asked, having a suspicion.

Zelda looked at him, amazed. "How do you…?"

"You didn't happen to have a vision about us combating a dark, shadow-shrouded man floating above flaming ruins, did you?"

She looked downright shocked, her eyes wide. "You saw?" she breathed. "How?"

"I don't know. It was like a nightmare and I jerked awake at about one in the morning. But I… it might sound a little crazy, but I knew that it wasn't just a dream… it felt as if you were there too, with me amidst the ruins…" he muttered, a little haltingly.

She gave a short giggle. "All the things that I've told you, and you think _that_ sounds crazy to me? I suspect we both might rethink what constitutes crazy…" she mused. "But yes. This is the vision that the sword showed me. It is what made me realize that, despite my misgivings, I must involve you. I believe it was a vision of the past, two millennia ago…"

Link ignored the implication that she wouldn't have involved him if it hadn't been shown to her. He'd probably have involved himself anyway, bumbling fool that he was…

But wait… "The past? But why… it was us, there on the hill, wasn't it? I was in my body and I saw you!" he questioned, confused.

She made a thoughtful face. "Yes it was… but not quite…" she sighed. "This is where it gets really complicated… and crazy even by the new definition of the word. It appears not only the Threat is subject to a cycle of rebirth, but us too. Or some part of us... or our souls… or…" she trailed off.

Link stared straight ahead, lost in thought. "I'm not sure I like that idea…" he said cryptically.

"Right?!" Zelda confirmed eagerly. "It's like everything in our lives is predetermined! Like everything is going according to some cosmic plan that we have no influence over! It's actually pretty infuriating!"

"Hmm." he confirmed ponderously. "Still, if all this is correct, and that's still a big if, it is also reassuring, don't you think?"

Zelda frowned, wondering. "How so?"

He gave her a slight grin. "Well, our… soul-ancestors must have succeeded, or we wouldn't be standing here, right? So, by my understanding, we've done it before. You said it yourself, this thing is unfathomably ancient. Who knows how many cycles there have been. And I doubt that when the Threat wins, it'd just continue on, right? Basically, we have only ever won." he concluded.

She looked at him, surprised, then thoughtful. After a few seconds, she showed a tiny smile. "Heh. Now that's a thought that, despite a whole night of pondering, hasn't occurred to me…" she mumbled.

"Well, maybe you should occasionally try to think like a simpleton. It tends to help." he joked.

"But that's what I keep you around for! You're my idiot, remember?" she giggled, looking at him bashfully.

"How could I not? I said it with the utmost conviction." he affirmed and took a deep bow. He got a little chuckle for his efforts.

'It's funny', Link thought. 'Even in this dark, dank place that scares us, the two of us together can just… laugh. Be dumb together… have fun as if we haven't got a care in the world, even though, apparently, the world is in our care. I just feel so comfortable when I'm with her… and it seems she is no stranger to that feeling. Maybe we really, truly, do belong together since times immemorial…'

Also a pretty encouraging thought, he couldn't help thinking.

"Let's move on. After you, my lady!" he said gallantly.

"Why thank you, good sir knight!" she replied and hovered past him.

They left the cistern and entered the series of long hallways, occasionally interrupted by rooms which purpose could only be guessed at. Link marvelled at the alien architecture and darted around to and fro, his sense of adventure obviously kindled. "Have you explored all these paths? We've already passed six of them!" he asked her while stepping inside one of those branches and holding his torch out in the hopes of seeing anything.

"No. I've only learned of this place yesterday… it looks like fully mapping this place might take days. Father said that most of these corridors have long since collapsed." she explained, smirking at his childlike wonder.

He looked back at her. "Do you want to explore?" he wanted to know, his eyes sparkling.

She hesitated. "Do you?" she questioned back, looking torn between curiosity and wariness.

"The thought has crossed my mind…" he grinned mischievously. "When else can you explore an ancient temple of ultimate evil?"

"The temple isn't evil, you dolt." she scoffed, rolling her eyes.

"Of ultimate good, then! Come on! Zelda and Link, the princess and her loyal fool, adventuring!" he exclaimed. He could see by her amused smile that his grand histrionics were having an effect.

"Alright, alright, you child! But after we've done what we're here for. And if you're good, maybe I'll give you a sweet!" she mocked.

Link made wide, delighted eyes at her. "Yaaaaay!" he squeaked.

She shook her head again, chuckling, and turned around to continue on her way.

Link still scurried around all over the place but was careful not to slow them down. He didn't want to annoy Zelda or make her stay down here longer than she absolutely wanted to. He could feel how uncomfortable she felt down here, in this world of dusty darkness, with only two torches as tiny sparks of light. He wouldn't be surprised if she tried to weasel out of her promise to take a closer look at this place. He would, of course, let her… but he would tease her forever for it.

They were just passing through a larger room with what looked like an open portcullis at the end, when his eyes were drawn to the right wall.

"Wait for just a second, please." he begged.

He could feel her questioning gaze on him when he stepped closer, holding his torch aloft to shine more light on the stone. It was a mural… remarkably well preserved, he thought. You could still see most of the colours. Dry and no sunlight, he mused.

Though even more fascinating was what it depicted. Two armies, one hylian on the bottom, one clearly monstrous at the top, standing face to face. In the middle were three much larger characters… all three of them looked eerily familiar. At the top a many-horned creature in jet black and red, bottom left a golden haired woman with an aura of light and to the bottom right a man in green, wielding a bluish shining sword. The monstrosity was amidst its army of Moblins, the others were among their troops of Hyrule.

Link swallowed. "I am beginning to think you were dead on with your theory about us…" he mumbled.

He saw Zelda nodding out of the corner of his eye. "This makes my hair stand on end…" she whispered. "Who were they? Were they us? Judging by my vision we even looked remarkably similar…"

"Good for them. But I don't think they necessarily were us in all respects. Different upbringing, different experiences, different situations… I think they define a character just as much as this elusive concept of a soul… if not more…" he mused.

She looked at him, having a look of surprise on her face, as if she hadn't expected such an answer. He raised a sceptical eyebrow. "What? I don't have to be your idiot all the time, do I? No time off?" he asked protestingly.

She looked down, suddenly ashamed. "Sorry. I didn't mean to insinuate… it's just that such a complex thought came to you so quickly. I'm genuinely impressed…" she mumbled. Link hoped that in this torchlight you couldn't tell how much he was blushing. Zelda looked back into his eyes and gave him one of her brain-frying smiles. "You can be my philosopher too, I think."

Goddess, that look she gave him right now! Link would have loved to kiss her, but this was hardly the right place. And they had business to attend to… Stupid bloody goddess-damned business, always getting in the way of important stuff!

He couldn't resist, however, to step closer and give her a little peck on the forehead.

"Come. Let's move on." he said, offering his hand. She took it immediately and together they set off again. Link tried to commit this room to memory, in case there were more such murals in here.

After a couple of minutes walking along more corridors, he noticed something. He stopped once more, looking back and forth between the way forward and the way they had come.

"What is it?" Zelda asked, a little nervous at his concentrated gaze.

"Nothing worrying. It's just… I only just noticed that we're going in a downward spiral…" he said thoughtfully.

"What?" she asked, bemused.

"Yeah, look!" he gently led her to the wall to their left and motioned for her to place her head against it and look along.

"Huh. It's got a slight bend…" she agreed.

"And we've been going ever so slightly downwards the entire time. If I had a coin I could probably prove it to you… we're in one huge spiral leading down… No idea if that has any significance though…" he finished.

"Interesting nonetheless. I'd never have noticed that." she admitted thoughtfully.

"It makes sense though. We're inside the hill upon which the fortress is built. If we had walked straight for this long, we would have hit one of the hill's sides and emerged. The Nayru fountain is almost completely at the edge…"

Link pointed at the bottom of the mural towards a line of squiggly symbols. "Can you read that? Is that even language?" he asked.

Zelda bent down to get a closer look. She was silent for at least a minute. Link suspected she was in complete study-mode and he hardly dared to move so he wouldn't break her concentration.

"It's not ancient Hylian, at least not a variant that I'm familiar with. It seems older… I don't really dabble in semantics and linguistics, but some of these symbols look like our letters might have emerged from them. But I can not figure out the semasiology behind them. All I can tell you it that I think they are letters of some sort… but even the barest syntax eludes me." she lectured.

She stood back up and looked into Link's amused face. "I like it when you become all scholarly. I understand only about half of what you're saying…" he smirked.

Zelda made a haughty face and looked at him as if he were an insect. To his surprise, she could do that quite well. "Hwell. Thousands of hours spent receiving a higher education must avail me some superior status, mustn't they?" she spoke down to him mockingly.

"Certainly, professor! So allow me to expand my horizon, my little walking lexicon: what does 'priapic' mean? You threw that at me before…" he asked, radiating 'eager innocent student'.

The effects were delicious! Zelda immediately turned a deep crimson that not even the bad light could hide. She couldn't even look at him… "It's err… you know when… erm… you, I mean, a man gets… err…" she fought with her embarrassment.

To Link it was the finest ambrosia, he could barely hold in his laughter. "So good a word, is it? Well, I think I'll start using it from now on, even though I'm not a 100 percent sure what it means. And I'll tell everyone who I got it from so everybody knows how erudite their princess is!" he promised.

Outrage mixed with embarrassment in her flushed face. "Don't you dare, you illiterate! If I bash your boorish head in with my torch right here, nobody's ever going to know!" she growled threateningly.

He took a step back and raised his hands. "Well how is a simple bumpkin like me ever going to broaden his vocabulary if not by asking his betters? And need I remind you? You put that word in your mouth, not me!" he chuckled.

That seemed to have been the wrong way to put it, for Zelda, even though it seemed impossible, blushed even harder until her whole head was completely red. She looked at him rather flabbergasted.

"Err… did I say something… odd?" he asked, dumbfounded.

"No… nothing… it's fine…" she said in a quiet, high voice.

Link felt as if he was on the brink of discovering an altogether new side of this girl. He crossed his arms in mock strictness. "Could it be that you are thinking of something rather… indecent? Not to say dirty?" he asked, feeling his own cheeks flush quite a bit. "And down here at that!" he finished, enjoying the situation immensely.

Zelda buried her face in her hand, seemingly wanting the earth to swallow her up. "Please stop!" she begged weakly, her shame nearly unbearable.

He relented, mostly since he felt his own embarrassment rise to dangerous levels… but also his curiosity. "Very well. I suppose this is a conversation that is best had outside a dark, dusty dungeon of danger. We shall resume at a later date." he determined, turning away. He hoped to Farore he hadn't gone too far, but it had simply been too fun to stop. He might, for the second time today, need an ice cold bath to get him back on track… though this time it seemed the same could be said for little Miss Angelic, which was… inspiring…

He stepped away a bit so they both could be allowed to recover. He forced himself to take an interest in a half crumbled statue of an elderly man, holding a book with a strange symbol on it. Three circles arranged in a triangle, with three wedges between them, pointing towards the middle… it appeared it was meant to represent something radiating outwards. Link had no idea what it meant, though.

He looked over his shoulder at Zelda. She was once again crouched in an attempt to garner more meaning out of the symbols they had noticed. Her skin seemed to be back to normal levels…

"Shall we proceed?" he asked, still amused.

She turned, a bit startled, and looked at him. She nodded, averted her gaze and threatened to become red again. Dear goddesses above, what had she been thinking of to be so flustered? He'd definitely have to find out at some point in the future, he thought… but for now, let's release her from this hell.

"Look. Let's just forget this little episode and focus on the task at hand, shall we?" he took pity.

She gave a little snort and nodded. "Thank you." she mumbled.

He extended his hand and made a wry face. "Come then, my little innocent princess!" he chirped.

She shot him a sinister look, but after a second took his hand nonetheless.

After about another 500 metres of walking they reached a large stone archway in the left wall. "This is it…" Zelda said ominously.

They stepped through and found themselves in the enormous domed chamber. Link gave an impressed whistle. Its echo bounced off of the walls and came back distorted and frightening.

"Bottom of the downwards spiral…" Link mused. He strained his eyes, but even he couldn't see the sword from the entrance.

With Zelda by the hand he drew closer, ascending the concentric steps until he, finally, was face to face with the blade he had heard so much about.

It was just a tad disappointing…

"Hm! It seems to have aged poorly, if you asked me…" he grumbled. He bent down to take a closer look, careful not to touch it. "There's quite a bit of rust eating away at this thing. I mean, it's a wonder it's still in one piece after two thousand years… I guess I was expecting it to look bright, even glowing, like in the dream…"

Zelda nodded. "I was surprised too. Until I touched it… then I was _really_ surprised…" she jested.

Link gave a little snort. He could see what she meant… the blade seemed to… wait… He couldn't quite describe what he saw… the blade seemed to get… younger. The oxidation flaked off, the blue turned from an aged dark to a marine colour, even the dim gem in the cross guard seemed to brighten.

Link could feel his breath quicken, though he didn't quite know why.

"Are you seeing this?" he breathed.

"No, what?" she asked, muffled. He could barely hear her. He looked to where she had stood, not a metre beside him. She was almost completely hidden behind a white mist… judging by her calm expression, she couldn't see it though. Only his increasingly unsettled face seemed to make her nervous. He barely saw her open her mouth to speak, but he couldn't hear anything. Then she was gone from his vision too…

Link was on the brink of panic. His heart was hammering in his chest as he looked around frantically. The only thing he could still see was the sword… by now it looked radiant, elegant in design, yet of an effective simplicity. He could feel pulses of power emanating from it, almost like the slow pulse. It was inviting… a welcoming, calming rhythm. He took a step closer, so he stood directly in front of it.

Fine leather was now wrapped around the hilt. It looked perfect for his hand. It was almost as if he could remember the feel of it, remember the sensation of swinging it in his arm, the weight of it in his body… This remarkable blade had been his, once… an infinity ago… He knew, yet couldn't remember… So many familiar thoughts, yet nothing to connect them to. It was like trying to remember someone else's dream…

Link found he yearned for it, thirsted for the feeling of having the perfect weapon. It scared him, but his fascination won. Slowly, carefully he extended his arm and wrapped his left hand around the grip.

A jolt racked through him and drove his breath out as if he had been kicked by a horse. His hand felt hot, scalding even, as if he'd touched a glowing piece of metal. His head swam as if he'd gotten an electric shock. He saw the earth erupt, a metre in front of him. A red glowing serpent-like creature flew gracefully from the crater, ascended to just above his head, then spiralled around him. He frantically looked to both sides. To his left and right two other, similar serpents had appeared, one blue and one green, all of them at least five metres long. His lung started to burn; he still couldn't draw breath. The three creatures appeared as if made solely of light. They were elegantly spiralling around him.

'Dragons!' Link's overcharged mind thought. He tried to pull his hand away, desperate for air, but it had cramped painfully around the hilt.

The red dragon left his orbital path and brashly floated right in front of his face. Link stared wide-eyed at the mystifying creature, noticing that it was translucent.

Its glow brightened, filling the entire dome with crimson light. Its front claw gently touched Link's forehead. He didn't even think about evading; he was too terrified.

A vision of a massive gorge, rent into red rock, at the bottom molten stone flowing tardily.

Then it, quick as roaring fire, flew right into the golden gem on the sword, which reacted with a fiery flash.

The blue dragon approached, elegant as a breaking wave. Link once again attempted to remove his hand, panic now firmly clawed in his mind. He needed air! Blue light filled the chamber. Painfully slowly the creature touched his forehead.

Another vision, a lake, surrounded by rock… a crater, filled with clear, turquoise water.

It too swiftly entered the gem, releasing an icy flash.

Link's vision started to blur and he felt his muscles grow weak. He sank down on one knee. 'If this doesn't end soon, I'll die…' he thought sluggishly.

He saw the last dragon approach with quick, whipping motions. He almost couldn't see the emerald light that engulfed him any more. It touched his forehead.

Endless forest with one, gigantic tree towering over all the rest… The tree was barren, it appeared dead…

Link's vision dimmed and went black. He felt himself fall backwards and into unconsciousness.

…

Link gasped awake, gripping frenziedly at everything he could to make his head stop spinning.

"Ow!" he heard a familiar voice exclaim.

He looked up, panic still vivid in his eyes. In defiance of his heavily blurred vision he recognized that angelic face. He didn't understand where he was, his head was revolving so sickeningly. How could she be above him?

He closed his eyes again, but that only made it worse. He felt a cool, gentle hand on his forehead. "Shhhh… calm, Link! Everything's alright. You just fell over… everything is fine!" he heard her soothing voice.

Link felt his breath slow at hearing it. He became aware of his body again… it seemed to be lying on the floor. He had, in his panic, gripped something. He looked at his hand. To his shock he saw that he had grabbed Zelda's arm, just above her wrist and held it in a vice grip. He immediately released her. "Oh goddess, I'm so sorry!" he gasped, looking back up at her. "Did I hurt you?"

She smiled softly and shook her head. "It's alright, you didn't." she assured. Link didn't quite believe her, but was relieved nonetheless. "What about you?"

He swallowed, still breathing hard. "My head is spinning like crazy. I… I couldn't breathe!" he explained, remembering that terrifying experience.

"I saw you touch the sword, then it looked as if you were in pain!" she said, her voice quavering. "I couldn't get to you… it was like running into soft glass, it wouldn't let me through! I… saw you go down to one knee and shortly afterwards the cramps that seemed to flash through you ceased and you fell. It seemed like an eternity!" she finished, clearly distraught. Now that his vision cleared, he could see a little tear in her eye. He felt his anger flare at the sword and at himself that they had worried her so… but he didn't know what else he could have done…

"I'm not ready." he mumbled. "The Mastersword told me… it is mine, but not yet. I… saw… it showed me something I needed to do."

Zelda nodded, gently brushing an errant strand of hair out of his face. "I saw… some of it. It was like I could share your vision, in part, but not through my eyes. Three lights, dancing around you, touching you, then they flew into the sword. I didn't see more because I… I could feel you choke…" she whimpered. "I was so scared!"

Now Link was doubly mad at himself. Thanks to his weakness she had been forced to experience that harrowing moment. He gritted his teeth.

"I'm so sorry you had to feel that…" he muttered angrily. "I'm alright now. It gave me a huge scare too…" he admitted. He looked back up and lifted his hand to caress her cheek. "No need to be afraid. I'm definitely too stubborn to die from a magical sword trying to choke me. I can say that from experience!" he joked, hoping it didn't sound too lame.

She gave a brief, relieved gasp of a laugh. She leaned her head slightly into his hand, clearly enjoying the feeling.

Link suddenly realized something. His head wasn't lying on the floor… but in her lap! He could feel the soft warmth of her legs through her blue trousers on the back of his head. He felt his breath calm down completely… he couldn't think of anything more comfy. She once again brushed lightly over his hair and it felt heavenly.

Quite the conundrum, thought he. Get up so she wouldn't get uncomfortable? Or remain for a bit longer, enjoying the moment after I nearly died…

…Easy answer.

"The lights you mentioned… I saw them as dragons… at least I thought they were dragons…" he began.

He could see he had her attention. "Long, serpent-like creatures, made of light, red, blue and green respectively. They emerged from the ground as if woken from a slumber… each showed me a… place… a location… I suspect this is where they can be found…" he mused.

She looked at him, enraptured. "I have seen illustrations of dragons… some of them fit with what you describe, but they are considered to be more myth than reality… And do you remember these three locations?" she asked.

"I remember what they look like. Clearly. It's like these images were firmly engraved into my brain… It was almost as if I was standing there, for a moment." he recalled.

"Maybe you have been there… an other You…" she offered.

Link thought about that… not impossible… the images were so clear as if he had seen them with his own eyes… maybe they were just memories, resurfaced through the illusory dragons' beckoning?

Zelda shifted a little, as if her legs were starting to hurt.

Oh well, thought Link. I've had my fun.

He slowly, carefully started to sit up, hoping the change in position wouldn't make his vertigo return.

"Are you sure? Do you feel well enough?" Zelda asked, concern in her voice.

My little angel, he thought. He turned back and smiled reassuringly. "It'll be fine. I can't have you sitting there, dry-nursing me forever!" even though I'd like to, he finished in thought.

He stood up. A little too quickly, as he found out, for his head started spinning again. Though nowhere near as bad as before, it was still annoying. He gritted his teeth and remained standing until it passed. He could feel her worried gaze in his neck.

After a few seconds he turned around, smiled at her again and offered his hand to help her up.

She took it. By the way she relied on his arm and by how slowly she stretched her legs, he realized how uncomfortable she must have been by the end. He felt a pang of guilt, having lain there for so long.

He led her hand to his mouth and pressed a long, gentle kiss on her fingers. "Thank you, Zelda…" he whispered, truly feeling great gratitude for her concern and help.

She responded with a shy smile. Then it turned into one of her impish grins that Link adored so much. "That was not nearly enough thanks…" she mumbled. But before he could find his brain again, she said: "But afterwards! Now I really wish to leave this place."

Link, though slightly disappointed, had certainly no objection.

L

They had walked back through the gloom in silence. Both their heads were ringing with questions. And the few answers they had led to more questions…

Their pondering was thankfully interrupted when they emerged back into the world of sunlight. Both of them simultaneously breathed a sigh of relief, then laughed at each other. The apprehension and worry of the shadowy world down there were washed off by the warming rays of the afternoon sun.

They giggled like little children as they resealed the entrance, using the established strategy. After they had restored the relaxing flow of water, Zelda still on Link's shoulders, he asked probably the most difficult question of them all.

"Now what?"

Zelda rested her hands on his scalp and thought for a minute.

"First off, you'll have to meet my father. He only agreed to let me guide you alone if we walked straight back to him after we're done. Then, beginning tomorrow, I'd suggest, we start with determining where those locations are that you saw. Once we're done with that, we plan a route." she listed.

Link grinned, admiring her. It sounded like she had already thought of plan A through F.

Meeting the king, though… "What does the king want with me?" he asked, sounding a little more nervous than he'd like.

"Well, you seem to be the… what was it? Protector? I assume he wants to meet you to see what you're like. Frankly, it annoys me that he hasn't done so already! You've single-handedly saved me from six assassins, for crying out loud. How can he not take an interest in you?" she huffed.

Link felt his alarm bells chime. Oooh… dangerous topic, it seemed… Apparently she and her father didn't quite see eye to eye… he just hoped that he wouldn't be caught in between them…

"Alright." he sighed. "Off we go then." And he started running towards the forest, knowing what would come next.

"Wait! Stop, you fool! I'm still up here!" she yelled, kicking slightly at his chest.

"So?" he asked, innocently.

"Well, I won't be up here for long if you enter the jungle! You will hardly get two metres before branches and vines snatch me." she laughed.

"I fail to see the problem." he explained calmly.

She rubbed her knuckles against his head. "Down. Now, pack-mule." she growled.

With a histrionic sigh he lifted her off his shoulders and placed her down. He let her go, but not before he gave her a quick peck on the back of her head. He just couldn't get enough of that wonderful scent…

She turned around, granted him an wry grin, then set off through the forest.

-space-

They reached the king's study. Link had insisted on making a detour to his tiny chamber so he could grab his best tunic. Zelda had rolled her eyes in incomprehension, but had given her assent.

Now they were just outside the heavy oaken door, flanked by two royal guards. Link was fidgety. 'It is absurd!' he told himself not for the first time. 'You are invited, you are a knight-aspirant, you have saved his daughter, you are apparently necessary to weather this crisis ahead… what in hell's blazes are you nervous about?'

But, as Link had found out numerous times, the brain is stupid and doesn't allow even itself messing with its work. He suspected he was anxious mostly about how he and Zelda were… well, together. Surely he didn't know that, right? Surely Zelda wouldn't want to talk about that… _right_?

At a regal command from her, the guards opened the door. Inside he could see an impressive room, filled with bookcases and an imposing, heavy desk in the back. The king had apparently just been about to get another book, for he was standing to the left, looking at them in surprise.

Thankfully, Link had done some reading and knew that, even for an aspirant, the appropriate greeting was a deep bow and not genuflection.

"Father. May I present knight-aspirant Link Andrésson, winner of the tournament of swordmastery and my saviour?" she spoke loud and clear, very much unlike what he'd expect one would talk to a parent. She spoke to the king…

"Link Andrésson, I present my father, King Tiberian of Hyrule."

And bow…

He heard the king step closer. "At ease." He had a deep, calm voice. Fitting for a monarch, thought Link. Hard, but collected.

He straightened up. "I greet you, Link Andrésson. And I thank you deeply for the life of my daughter." he said, almost glumly. He too seemed to be deeply worried by the recent events and discoveries… he couldn't blame him. The man was a father who knew that his daughter must go to battle with a demon!

Link bowed in thanks. "It was my duty, your majesty."

The king gave a little deep grunt. "It appears this particular duty has fallen wholly to you." he sighed. He stepped away and leaned against his desk. He too looked very tired.

"Tell me." he simply said.

Zelda began to recount their whole experience, graciously leaving out that he'd fallen unconscious. The king listened calmly, only interrupting for the occasional clarification.

When she had finished, he pondered for a minute.

"So, recapitulating, the sword has rejected you until you have found these locations where, supposedly, these three dragons reside?" he questioned. By the way he said 'dragons', Link knew that he had a difficult time wrapping his head around it.

He cleared his throat. "The Mastersword is unquestionably mine, sire. I highly doubt it would have… spoken to anyone else. But before this burden is truly mine to bear, I believe I am being tested. As for the dragons: They could very well be of symbolic nature. Attain strength, find wisdom, and discover courage… The places, at least, give us a solid lead." He was surprised at how firm and certain his voice was. The king, apparently, was too. He looked at him with a mildly astonished gaze.

"A fair point, young aspirant. I suggest you, Zelda, attempt to learn of these locations with his help. Tomorrow, though, I do not want you to exert yourself overly. One thing, before you leave!" he said the last part towards Link again.

Oh goddess, what's coming now?

"You have proven that you are a formidable swordsman. You appear to be who my daughter and that wretched Impa think you are. And you have the respect of my advisor, Sir Alistair. I would ask you to stand as Zelda's personal guard during the night. I understand that this is an additional duty and that it may come as a surprise that I would ask this of you. However, sadly, I can think of no-one better suited. If you truly are the predestined protector of the princess who will fight evil alongside her, then I ask that you shield her personally. Should another attack occur, I do not want you far from her side. Understood?" he commanded in his nearly emotionless voice.

That certainly is unexpected, Link thought. Fifteen year old knight-aspirant, personal guard of the princess? There was, of course, no question what the answer could be, even though the king's 'sadly' irked him.

"Understood, your majesty. I am well enough rested that I can fulfil this duty immediately." he confirmed. This wasn't just bravado. He would have said the same if he had barely been able to crawl. The opportunity to protect her who mattered most… officially, without any obstructions… it was too important to waste even a single night.

"Good." The king nodded. "A chamber within the inner castle will be made available to you. I have already spoken to the commander of the royal guard corps. You will stand guard from ten in the evening to six in the morning in front of my daughter's chambers. Dismissed."

Link bowed.

"And you! To bed, please. Get some sleep." the king added. For the first time, there seemed to be some emotion in his voice.

They exited the king's study.

Link followed Zelda to her chambers. That sounded very odd in his thoughts… almost scandalous.

With all that had happened, his brain was struggling to keep up. He was now the princess' protector. Ten in the evening to six in the morning, trying to read up to become a decent knight, training with Sir Alistair, finding out where those three locations were… Link scratched his head. Huh! Sleep was for the weak!

They ascended a wide, winding staircase and reached an ornate double door.

"Well… here it is." Zelda said uncertainly.

Link looked around. There had been two royal guards at the bottom of the stairs and one a little further up. The corridor extended to both the left and right. All in all there were three doors apart from the big double one. Servants' and maids' quarters, surely. As far as he could see, the stairs were the only way into the corridor if you didn't smash a window. If he stood right before her door, he'd have a pretty good vantage point.

"Erm… you know… it's only four, maybe. You don't have to become protector already…" she chuckled. It would seem she didn't take this quite as seriously… or maybe she just acted this way.

"True, but I can already make a mental map. Maybe tomorrow you'll show me how where these other doors lead." he asked, lost in thought.

He looked back at her. She had a weird smile on her face. It made his knees wobbly…

"I like that you're protecting me… I do feel a bit safer…" she said softly, almost whispering. Goddesses above she was cute!

"I'm relieved that I may. I feel better like this too…" he mumbled, enraptured by her stunning sky blue eyes.

Damn it all, he couldn't kiss her here! They might be out of sight of the guards, true, but a servant could stumble upon them at any time and…

Zelda stepped forward and kissed him deeply before he could think another word. She grabbed his collar pulled him back under the door frame, never breaking apart. His mind was racing… ohgoddessohgoddessohgoddess what if anybody sees? But his body was reacting on its own and it didn't even think about moving away. He pressed himself against her, his hands at her waist. He felt her slim, supple frame against his, felt the warmth from her body, felt her react his every move. Her scent was overpowering…

Goddess help me… I'm lost now…

Gently, slowly, as if to enjoy every last instant, she pushed him away. Link's brain was lost between 'Oh thank goddess!' and 'Oh goddess damn it!'.

She looked just as breathless as he felt, her cheeks pink and her mouth slightly open. Never before had she looked so beautiful… and alluring.

But she kept her hand between them to maintain the distance. Link was thankful for that, else he might get weak.

He chuckled. "What in the world are you doing with me?" he asked playfully.

She grinned back. "Nothing more today." she whispered.

He shook his head, forsaken. "In that case I might need a long, ice cold bath."


	28. Chapter 27

**Hey guys and girls!**

 **For whatever reason these chapters get increasingly hard to write… I can't quite place my finger on why that is. Should the wait between them get gradually longer, please excuse that, but I don't want to put out hastily patched together content. It's odd how invested one gets with a story like this and I want to do it justice. Also please excuse the -spacer- thingies. I don't know how to get it to display a double line break to signify a change in scenerey or time.  
**

 **Enough rambling!**

 **Enjoy!**

Chapter 27

King Tiberian of Hyrule

Zelda had just left with the boy in tow.

It was hard not to think of him as 'a boy'… slim, soft, childlike features, not even a tuft of hair on his chin… But yet... there was steel in him. More than you would expect from a youth his age…

He doubted that either of those children realized the danger they faced. Not that he did, the king admitted to himself, but that was precisely what frightened him most. The unknown… and the resulting impossibility to be prepared.

He sat back down heavily behind his desk. Goddess, he was tired. His generals were doing an admirable job of patching an army together, but he would be damned if he didn't oversee every last detail of this initial, hot phase. He hated this nerve-grinding delay of information that came from the sheer distance his country spanned. It would be days, maybe weeks before he knew how his battalions at Saqqara fared and whether they were able to put a stop to the raids. If there even had been any more… And it would take at least one more week until the full fighting force had been assembled with enough provision to be mobile.

As much as he wanted to help his daughter with this… questionable endeavour about dragons, even if it was only to try to reconnect with her, he had to focus on this potential war they were fighting. He had to trust that she would come to the right conclusions… she certainly had the intelligence for it, but also a youthful lack of experience. And while the boy seemed bright enough, judging by one meeting, he couldn't be sure whether his influence would be beneficial.

The king shook his head at himself. What had his daughter said?

"Then fucking learn!"

He hadn't even known that she knew words like that… then again, she always had been a bit of a rascal. With a wistful smile he recalled one night when she was five. The entire castle household had been frantically searching for her as nobody had seen her for at least six hours. He was just a hair's breadth away from sounding the alarm throughout the entire city when the clever old stable master had, on a whim, found her sleeping peacefully next to a young filly that she had taken a liking to. Smeared with grime and dirt she had been, as if she had crawled through who-knows-what in her stealthy escape from her chambers. He remembered, clear as day, how weak his knees had gotten in relief at seeing his unhurt, sleeping daughter…

And now it seemed she despised him… and he just didn't know how to fix it.

He sighed heavily. At least he felt a little safer, now that the boy was guarding her. Despite all his doubts that so young a lad was suitable for such an important task, it did somehow feel like the right choice. He had serious eyes, that boy… he was not someone who would falter in the face of danger.

It also served to make his daughter happy. The looks she had shot him had not escaped the king. He felt a little uneasy leaving these two even-aged youths to their own devices, with him being a commoner no less. But if his presence served to provide Zelda with even a little comfort, it was worth it. Let them have a bit of solace before their daunting task.

"A wise choice, king."

He didn't even flinch this time. The Shiekah's intrusions were becoming routine. They still were outrageous, though.

"Do not presume to know what I am thinking, cur!" he growled, looking at her cowled face.

"I don't. I was referring to you ordering the hero to guard your daughter. Could it be that you have started to give credence to the increasingly obvious explanations of recent events?"

He controlled his anger. He would not let this assassin's mocking words make him lose his cool. "Are you just here to spew poorly veiled insults or would you like to be of use for once?" he grumbled.

"I have come to inform you that I will leave for Saqqara immediately. I find it most odd that the enemy's first attack would be there, the warlike tribe of fierce fighters, fortified by cruel desert. There must be a reason to choose this prickly morsel as initial target… and immediately after the two children of destiny had found each other. I believe there might be information within Saqqara's walls that the agents of the Threat are now desperately trying to erase. And if there is, I must secure it." the Shiekah explained.

The king saw sense in that. He had wondered himself, what possible gain the creatures led by a sinister intelligence could hope for by tackling the most difficult route into Hyrule.

"Very well. Yet, why do you even tell me? You seem to be loyal solely to my daughter, certainly not me." he asked with a certain grudge.

"I am." she had the nerve to say. "I simply do not wish to disturb her any further today, and I cannot wait any longer. I trust that you will relay this information, king."

He gritted his teeth, but remained calm through great effort. What did this woman thing he was? A messenger boy?

"I also trust that you will help both the princess and the hero with whatever preparations they might require. I believe it is vital that they start on their quest post-haste!" she continued.

The king looked up, his eyes bemused and threatening. "What do you mean 'their quest'? Surely setting out into the wilderness to some goddess-forsaken goose chase is the "hero's" task! You do not seriously presume that I would send my daughter away from safety in these times!" he hissed, his calm cracking dangerously.

"Have you learned nothing still?" she spat back at him, also angered. "Your self-righteous inaction has already cost valuable time! Now you wish to impede our only hope of salvation even further? The two children of fate combat the Threat together, that has been clear from the start! She, the light that banishes the darkness, he, her protector who wields the sword to destroy evil. You know this!" she yelled, exasperated.

"I will not allow my only child to be put at risk! Protector or no, there is too much danger involved! What if a host of monsters finds them? Our enemies know more than us, you said so yourself! They will be waiting at wherever they need to go! Even if she is needed at these locations, let the boy clear the way first! Then She can follow with an escort!" he tried to reason.

"And what safety does that avail?" she shot back heatedly. "She was attacked in the middle of a troop of more than a hundred! She was attacked in the middle of your city, surrounded by all of your guards! What makes you think sending her off with a big retinue will accomplish? It would be like lighting a flare, signalling her position at all time! Let me make this clear: As long as her position is known and she is separated from Link, she is an easy target. The safest spot she can be is most likely lost in the wilderness, with only him as company. You can not protect her! Only he can!"

"I will not send her away with only a smooth-cheeked boy as protection!" he shouted through gritted teeth, his head growing red in rage.

Suddenly Impa seemingly returned to calm. "Then my only choice is make sure that you are unable to stop them." she informed him, her voice cold.

The king's eyes widened, his fiery fury blown away by sheer disbelief. "You dare threaten me? In my own house?" he asked, his muscles tensing for a fight.

She did not move an inch. "I must. It is my duty to ensure that they can fulfil theirs. And I will not tolerate anyone who puts my princess in danger." she told with the same, nearly monotone voice.

The king gritted his teeth once more. "And you believe Zelda will trust your word after you have murdered me?" he asked with an grim snort.

"It doesn't matter. She already knows what she must do and she will. She would hate me, but she would still fulfil her duty. And if she wishes my death after I have fulfilled mine, she is welcome to it."

The king stared at her red eyes, trying to gauge how serious she was being. His right hand twitched, wanting to grab the dagger that was fixed to the underside of the desk. But in the end, he knew that he had no chance. He broke the stare-duel and sank into his chair, defeated. "I will have to think on this." he admitted, weakly.

The Shiekah stepped closer, slowly like a tiger stalking its prey. He looked back up. His breath caught in his throat when he saw her eyes. He saw nothing but death glare at him, not a threat, but a silent promise. For the first time, the king was afraid for his life. He shivered and involuntarily recoiled into the back of his chair.

Her voice was pure ice when she spoke. "Think on it very carefully, king. The fate of this world does not depend on your life. It is as irrelevant as mine in this war. It can be snuffed the instant you cease to be an ally in the battle against the dark."

She was standing right next to him with those terrifying red orbs bespeaking his demise. He couldn't move; fear held him in a vice grip. "Do not hinder them any further. I will know if you do and I will come for you. This you may rely on, king!"

A heavy knock on the door startled him so thoroughly, he thought the Shiekah had pierced his hear. The guard entered timidly, looking that everything was alright. Of course, they had both shouted… no wonder the two men in front of the door had worried. He looked back to his right. The red eyed demon had vanished without a trace.

-spacer-

Zelda

Zelda woke up, slowly, enjoying the feeling of waking up in a soft bed after a restful sleep. She carefully rolled over so she wouldn't disrupt this nice state between dreaming and wakefulness. She loved the feeling of the cool, smooth bed sheets on her naked skin, giving her the sensation of lying amidst a cloud.

For the first time in weeks she had had a dreamless, uninterrupted night. No wonder… she had been so back-breakingly tired from the sleepless, revelatory night before and the day with Link, which overall had been sweet, but stressful. She couldn't even remember anything that had occurred after their rather passionate goodbye kiss. Eyes still closed, she had to smile and curl up into a ball, as if trying to experience the feeling of body against body with herself. It had been a _very_ good kiss…

Slowly but surely her mind wrenched her away from the dream world and into reality. Opening her eyes she saw her room flooded with early sunlight. Six in the morning, maybe? Something niggled in her mind, but she couldn't quite find it. Loath to leave the comfort of her bed, but also yearning to get started with her day, she stood up. A mighty yawn escaped her as she deliciously stretched her slender body. She felt… good… for once.

She suspected it might be because they actually had some sort of goal now, even if it was a vague one. Still, finding three unknown places was more tangible than "go and save the world!"… It was a clear objective, something to concentrate on, a beacon leading to action, so they no longer had to traipse in the dark.

And, well… the rather intense little goodbye yesterday afternoon certainly also helped to raise her spirits. Zelda looked dreamily out the window and into the rising sun. The memory of that kiss and all the sensations it had engendered made her blush. She recalled that she had been the initiator of that risky, all-too-short moment. She had been the one who grabbed him and pulled him in so he pinned her against the door. Good goddess, what had she been thinking? Some maid could have stumbled upon them at any second… but that was also what had made it so very exciting.

"Naughty little princess!" Link would probably say. She smiled to herself like a happy idiot.

Wait… Link! Six o'clock! The time when his shift ended! Maybe she could still see him, say good morning at least!

Zelda darted towards the door, through her sitting room and into the little antechamber. Her hand was already on the doorknob when her brain had a tiny little objection. She looked down at herself. She was in a nightshirt that reached just to the middle of her thighs… nothing more. Goodness! That would have been an exit, stumbling into his arms like this… basically nude…

Talk about fodder for the rumour mill!

She hastened back to her bedroom, angry and slightly amused by her impetuosity. She was reminded of his second to last sentence yesterday. "What in the world are you doing to me?"

What indeed! What were they doing to each other's brains? Apparently hers was turning into mush! She had just nearly dashed out of her chambers, clad in nothing but a very revealing shred of cloth, into either a young man, or a random royal guard! She had a tiny feeling that Link would have rather enjoyed the sight…

She jumped around the room, hastily donning the first dress that she could get her hands on and pulling some shoes on her feet so she could spurt back out as quickly as possible. 'What _am_ I doing?!' she giggled to herself, wondering if she had completely lost her mind. 'Yes!' a helpful voice supplied. 'But it's too fun to stop now!'

She slid to a halt in front of the double doors, stood up straight, made a calm face and opened the door.

She was greeted by the back of a guardsman, standing stalwartly in front of the door. She could swear she had just been able to see a tuft of messy dark blonde hair go down the stairs.

Zelda made a frustrated face. So close!

The guardsman turned, a broad-shouldered, balding man of about 30. He opened his mouth, hesitated when he saw her, but rallied immediately. "Good morning, your majesty. May I be of service?"

Right, now how do we deal with this?! She had an idea, but it was slightly mean…

"The young man who was given the night-shift… he was doing his assignment properly, I hope?" she asked regally.

The man nodded, so look of suspicion from him. "Aye, my lady. He stood at his spot and seemed vigilant. You only just missed him." he reported.

"Very well. I have instructions for him." Goddess, she sounded nasty! "He is to come to the library after he has fulfilled his other duties. Would you see to it that he learns of my wish?"

"Aye, your highness! I will!" he confirmed with a bow.

"Good!" she exclaimed, returned back inside and closed the door.

She exhaled deeply. "Phhuuuuuh. That could have been a bit awkward…" she mumbled to herself.

Zelda returned to her bedchamber, slightly disappointed, but nonetheless eager to begin the day. If everything went according to plan, Link would join her after his training with Sir Alistair… until then she would start by chewing through as many books as she could, in search for any relevant information on dragons and their symbology. She didn't know how the three locations looked, so this was the only lead she could follow.

Normally she would do all of her morning attention to hair, face and clothing on her own but today she rang the bell for her ladies-in-waiting. There was no time to be lost.

She sat down in front of her luxurious mirror and nearly got a stroke. She looked _hideous_! At least her hair did! It was standing on end like a feather duster! No wonder the guard had looked at her queerly for a moment! Nayru's mercy, thank you for not letting Link see me like this! What the devil kind of acrobatics had she performed while sleeping that it would look like this?

Good grief, this could take a while…

-spacer-

Two hours later a coiffure-restored Zelda was on her way to the library. Thella, the elderly maid who seemed to have made it her personal goal to take care of the princess' hair, had nearly had a heart attack upon seeing her. They had bustled around her for what seemed an eternity, basically throwing her in the bathtub, caring not for her resistance.

"What _have_ you been doing with your hair, your majesty?!"

"Dry, dusty air?! _Death_! Death I say for anyone's hair, your majesty!"

"You should have called me _immediately_ , your majesty! Let us hope we can still salvage it!"

Dear goddess, the drama!

Still, she couldn't deny that she felt much more comfortable and confident with her hair flowing smoothly, instead of looking like she had been kissed by an Electric Keese…

She entered the library, admittedly feeling even more refreshed than when she had just woken up. She put her satchel down on her favourite reading desk in front of the window and looked at row upon row of shelves. Right… where to start?

She noticed something at another desk, slightly hidden behind books. Zelda looked surprised. Right… let's start with 'Why is Sally in the library?'

She walked over and immediately noticed that something was wrong. Her little cousin was holding a book about new age Goron poetry. That was _slightly_ out of character. She also seemed to hide her face from her behind the heavy tome. Also not quite fitting. Thirdly, judging by her red eyes and slightly puffy cheeks, she had apparently been crying. Now that was cause for an emergency meeting! She had never, ever seen her so much as shed a tear, not even when one of the ruffian boys had knocked her over so violently that she had scraped both of her knees open. Quite the opposite; she had made him cry right after. She had been seven and he ten…

Zelda sat down beside her and put a consoling hand on her arm. "Sally, goodness! What's wrong? Did something happen?" she asked, nervous. Had something happened with her parents? Was everyone alright?

The smaller girl boisterously rubbed her eyes and wiped her nose on her forearm. "Something happened, alright. Goddess, this is so embarrassing… Bugger me, I'm such an idiot!" she sniffed.

Zelda had a sneaking suspicion what had happened. "It wouldn't be the case that Link's big friend was untoward, could it?" she asked cautiously, uncertain how to react to a Saria in this state.

She looked at her older cousin indignantly. "No! Nothing like that! Quite the opposite. That's the problem, damn it. He's more of a gentleman than any of these noble brats! And funny. And creative. For the first time I'm… well, I think I don't need to draw you the picture in any more detail, do I? And he's going to leave, frigging bugger it all!" Sally buried her face in her arms on the table.

Zelda was torn between deep, genuine compassion and amusement. Her little Sally, head over heels…

"You really are just one big bundle of emotion, aren't you?" Zelda asked, gently stroking her friends dark hair.

She raised her finger in the air. "And sarcasm!" she mumbled into the desk.

"And sarcasm." Zelda confirmed. "Look, he leaves in four or five days, right? Make the most of it now. …without doing anything rash, I should add. I never know with you…"

"What, no mud-battles?" the smaller girl asked, muffled.

Zelda giggled. "Definitely no mud-battles. But even if, you know you can count on me for a midnight-washing-adventure. Anyway, I assume you've met him yesterday as well?"

Nod. "While you were… somewhere. I didn't see you the entire day! I did, however see your boyfriend stand guard in front of your door. He, of course, doesn't just leave…" Sally said bitterly.

Zelda's heart gave a pleasant little flutter at the word boyfriend. Yes… she hadn't actually thought about it that way, but yes… she had a boyfriend.

"Look, Sally. You've spent two days with each other. Use the next few to see if he's actually as interesting as you currently believe. Then, after he has left, there's always letters. If it is meant to be, you will not forget about each other and can look forward to another meeting." she offered, knowing fully well how unhelpful it was. She didn't even want to imagine how distraught she'd be if she knew that Link would have to leave and possibly never come back.

Sally made a very distinguished flatulence-noise. "Can't you just bloody use your princess powers and force him to stay? What good are you to me, if you can't even do that?" she whined.

Zelda snorted. Truly, what good were her 'princess powers' if she couldn't even use them for something like this?

"Look, I know that nothing I can say is going to console you right now. If I can help you with anything, tell me. But I really do need to start on my research. Why don't you help me, get your mind off of _your_ boyfriend?"

Sally gave a muffled laugh. "Hah! If only…" Then she unburied her face and looked at her cousin, disgruntled. "Fine. But only for a couple of hours. Then I need to prepare for… well… our next date." she grumbled, turning ever so slightly red.

Zelda sighed, grabbed Saria's head between her hands and pulled her close so she could give her a little kiss on the forehead. "It will turn out alright, you will see."

Sally made a sulky, low hum. "Right. Thank you for your precious prophetic powers. Wait, you really do have those, don't you? Maybe it magically will turn out well!" she said snidely.

Ah, sarcasm is back! Seems we are out of the woods, for now.

"What are we researching, then?"

"Dragons." Zelda simply said.

She got presented with a look that clearly said 'someone's gone crackers'. "Enough of all this saving-the-world-business, then? Are we visiting fantasy land, you and I?" Saria mocked.

Zelda rolled her eyes. "Well I would have gone with something more real, like Hinox, but since I am apparently related to one, I don't quite see the point. I'm being serious about this, Sally. I don't know yet whether learning about the mythology of these creatures will be of any use, but I do know that they, or their symbology, is somehow involved." she explained.

"What have you found out that makes you think that?" her cousin asked, her curiosity clearly kindled.

Zelda recounted her last day, told of the Mastersword and the vision Link had upon touching it.

Little Hinox listened, taken in, then shook her head derogatorily. "Visions and dreams… you are both weird, you know that? Isn't the normal world complicated enough for you two?" she huffed histrionically. "Right. Where do we start?"

Zelda was always fascinated by her little cousin at times like these. She had just told her that they had found a magical, evil smiting sword deep under the castle and that Link, upon touching it, had images of mystical locations implanted in his brain by three glowing dragons… and all Sally said was 'Where do we start?'. It just goes to show how deeply they trusted each other.

"I'll have a look into Mythical Hyrule and you can start with Legendary Creatures of old. Don't worry, it has got a lot of pictures." she could help but remark.

"I'll paint you a very detailed picture of what I think of your attempts at humour, girly." Sally growled, but went off to find her designated study material.

Zelda too went to the shelf where she knew the tome would lie. She did know pretty much where everything was in here… she could probably fill the role of librarian herself. When she found it, sat down and opened it on the right page she immediately had to frown a little bit.

'Dragons: Myth or Menace?' the title of the chapter screamed at her.

Well, she thought, time to separate the grains of information from the loads of nonsense!

-spacer-

Three hours later Zelda was still poring over books. A sizeable stack of already read material had accumulated to her right. She had ordered a hearty breakfast and was still occasionally chewing on it between pages, much to the dismay of the librarian, who shot her nasty looks.

Sally had left an hour ago, her spirits somewhat restored and eager for her next meeting with Ricco. She hadn't been of much help today anyway… her head had been firmly stuck in the clouds. Then again, she wasn't one to talk. The thought of seeing Link again today filled her with fluttery butterflies. More than once she had to wrest her attention back to the sheer endless number of books.

It was tiring, but also strangely fascinating. Zelda loved stories of mystery and with a topic as inspiring as dragons, an enormous collection of them had sprung forth over the centuries. Must of them, naturally, were complete bogus, but by comparing dozens of them, she could extrapolate common themes. Themes that tended to stay the same in most stories and had kept over the years. She was eager to discuss these with Link. Goddess, hopefully he wasn't one of those men who were afraid of books! That would be awful…

Sighing, she closed yet another tome that hadn't really improved her understanding in the matter. Once again, she seemed to run into this wall that obstructed anything that had happened more than 2000 years ago… At least now she knew that this was a deliberate machination and not her failure as a researcher. Aggravating nonetheless!

She looked at the stack of books thoughtfully. Wait… her father had his own library in his study. He dealt mostly with natural and military science and strategy, but given that possibly dragons had once existed, they might have entries in his more exclusive tomes…

Zelda wasn't all too happy to return there. Granted, he'd most likely be in the map room this time of day…

She made a face at her own childish thoughts. Why should I avoid him, damn it? This is my research and he has to bloody help me!

'You are avoiding him because you're still angry with him." a little voice in her head supplied.

'Yes! I am! So?' Zelda answered herself back. 'Why shouldn't I be? He has treated me so despicably the last weeks!'

'Out of concern, not spite or doubting you!' the other voice whispered. 'And he has been helping lately.'

'Well, he can just continue doing that. I am not ready to forgive and forget!'

The little, regrettably reasonable voice offered: 'You have already made your point to him. Now at least help fix the situation and don't obstruct his attempts to better himself.'

Grudgingly, Zelda agreed with that infuriatingly sensible part. Nothing would be gained by being a truculent child.

Sighing heavily, she stood up. She tugged her clothes back into place, mostly to stall for time and to control her nerves.

'Right. Let's go.'

-spacer-

She stood in front of the heavy oak door to her father's refuge. The guards had just informed her that he was, in fact, inside. One of them knocked for her and opened it. Zelda entered without waiting for any admission. She found him poring over some writ, probably a list of recruits, or a summary of their preparations. He looked awfully tired. He had probably slept less than 5 hours over the last three days.

"Greetings." she announced herself dryly.

"Please, come in." he answered with equal emotion.

To the point, then. "I have decided to start looking into dragons and their mythology. I have all but exhausted the books in the library. Do you have any reading material on the matter?" she asked politely.

"Nothing too specific… are you progressing with your research?" he asked, standing up.

"Yes." she simply said without offering any details. Why should she be forthcoming with information?!

She saw how the unspoken rejection stung him. Once again she was torn between a certain satisfaction and guilt at causing him pain. That annoying voice chided her. 'You are _still_ being childish!'

She sighed. "A few common themes, bits of information… preciously little. They seem to almost be as shrouded in mystery as what has occurred two millennia ago…" she finally continued.

"Do you see a connection?" her father asked, stepping on a ladder to reach the books high above their heads.

Zelda paused to think. She hadn't, really, but it was an interesting coincidence. Had the dragons vanished at the same time the great calamity had been averted? She would have to look further into that.

She took a deep breath. Her next words did not roll easy off her tongue. "I didn't. Though now I can see that there might be. Thank you for the idea." she admitted grudgingly. It really had been a good idea…

Her father paused on the ladder, in the middle of grabbing a book. He looked down towards her, surprised. Then he showed a grateful, little smile. "You are very welcome, Zelda. Anytime." he answered and proceeded collecting tomes for her.

She released the breath she had been holding. 'There. Wasn't so hard, now was it?'

'You shut up!' she told her own thoughts.

He stepped back down, carrying five ancient looking, leather-bound books under his arm. "These are the first that come to mind. Rather more lyrical than one might want, but I don't think that can be helped. You may also take this one." he said, pointing at a big book of at least half a metre edge length, lying ready at a side table. He must have prepared it for her beforehand. "This is my collection of maps. It covers most of Hyrule in excellent detail. It might prove useful when you begin your search for these three locations."

'So much helpfulness in one day? Take care not to exert yourself, father!' she thought nastily. Forcing these thoughts back she answered: "Thank you. That is very thoughtful. I will take good care of it."

He nodded. "I know you will." he muttered, not unkind. "By the way, he spoke well, that hero of yours. I am pleased that I don't have to trust your safety to a simpleton."

She felt her ire rise like acid in her mouth. How dare he?! "He certainly isn't that. If you were to ever take a step outside of this castle, you might find that, staggeringly, there can be intelligent people outside the nobility…" she informed scathingly.

To her surprise he lifted his hands placatingly. "Please, Zelda, that is not what I meant. But you have to understand that it is most unusual to entrust the safety of my daughter to a fifteen year old aspirant whom I don't know. I was merely relieved that he seemed wise beyond his years… indeed something that is rarely found within the nobility…" he explained.

She calmed down somewhat. She knew he wasn't good with words… or their appropriate use.

"I assume, by your reaction, that the two of you are on good terms?" he asked further.

Don't blush don't blush don't blush don't blush…

"I'd say we are. I would enjoy it if I could consider my protector my friend also." she said cautiously.

He nodded and smiled, a little too knowingly for her taste. "Indeed. I approve. You need to be able to rely on each other, or this endeavour will collapse catastrophically." he uttered.

She frowned slightly… what had he meant by that?

Zelda felt that they were done with each other for the moment. She nodded towards him in thanks, took the books and turned to leave.

"One matter I would like to discuss with you briefly…" he called after her. She turned around, wondering what would come next. "I… wanted to ask you, if you planned to join young Andrésson on this… quest."

She slowly turned around, feeling the anger boil back up. Zelda immediately knew where this was going and readied herself mentally for battle. "Link and I will do this together, as everything we know points toward that being our only way forward." she said with a dangerously calm voice. "I trust you have no objections?"

"I think it is unsafe." he tried to reason, but Zelda was done with this conversation before it had begun.

She turned back to the door and put her hand on the knob. She looked back one last time. "Where, truly, is it safe for me then, father?" she asked, looking at his ignorant face blankly.

Without waiting for the answer she left, knowing he had none to give.

-spacer-

It was about half past four in the afternoon. Link should arrive any minute. Zelda was nervous and she felt like a fool for it. Whenever one of the librarians or housecleaners entered or exited she would look up, excited, only to be disappointed that it wasn't him. Focus had been very elusive due to that…

She also felt as if her brain was collecting dust. She had spent her entire day in here… nearly ten hours. She was exhausted and looking at any more small, dense script threatened to give her a headache. She had probably exaggerated with her zeal to find something, but she just couldn't allow herself to be less than an equal player in this research. Link was training for her, he was guarding her… the least she could do was work as quickly as she could so all of this would be over as soon as possible…

She sank into the chair and closed her eyes for a moment. Her father's words wouldn't leave her overwrought head. Did she plan to go with him? Yes! Naturally! But… what good would she be? As much as she loathed it, she was a city girl. Worse even: A palace girl! Despite her enthusiastic forays toward the outside world, in the wilderness she'd probably be… useless.

She had to admit that that terrified her more than anything else. To be a burden… Something that needed to be dragged along, unable to shoulder her own weight… And it would be infinitely worse if the one who had to carry her was Link. She couldn't bear the thought of him having to make up for her inadequacy at… well anything! Had she ever hiked over the country with a heavy backpack? No.

Had she ever tried to gather food in a forest? No.

Hell, had she ever made a fire without any tools? No!

Her fretting mind tormented her with images about his exasperated face about her complete and utter incompetence, his worry at how he should keep both of them alive and safe…

On the other hand, she had to come with him, didn't she? He was her protector, the hero whose destiny it was to see that she was safe. He couldn't very well do that when he was hundreds of miles away on an adventure while she languished here like some forlorn little flower. And, as she had insinuated to the king, there most likely was no safety to be found here. Then, of course, there was the possibility that, whatever they found at these three places, she had to be there to do… something.

Then again…

"You wished to see me, highness?"

Zelda opened her eyes, slightly startled. She looked at that impish grin in that handsome that she adored so much. Immediately the corners of her mouth twitched upwards. If the table hadn't been between them, she'd probably have fallen into his arms, simply out of thanks that he had interrupted her torturous train of thoughts.

She stood up nonetheless, stepped around the desk, took a quick, furtive look around, then stood on her toes to flutter him a kiss. He looked suitably surprised; now it was her turn to grin impishly. "Don't make me wait again, cur, or the punishment will be terrible!" she threatened.

Link snapped to attention and performed a crackling salute. "Yes, ma'am! Sorry ma'am! If that just now was the punishment I'll do it every day, ma'am!" he barked soldierly.

Zelda giggled, but nervously shushed him to silence. "Shhh! We're not alone, probably. Regrettably…" she added with a flirtatious smile.

She could see the effect it had on him and she enjoyed it greatly. Seeing him squirm in indecisive excitement, torn between caution and desire, gave her a certain naughty pleasure.

She stepped away, releasing him from her torment. She went to sit back down when he spoke. "How long have you been in here?!" he exclaimed, looking aghast at the pile of books next to her.

"All day!" she sighed, unable to hide a certain tiredness.

He shook his head at her, acting stern. "Now what sort of behaviour is that, young lady? I can hardly think of anything more damaging to life and limb!" he pontificated grandly. "Come, you bookworm. We need to get you out of here and into fresh air!"

Oh how much she wanted to. Ideally out of the castle, just sitting somewhere in the city with him. But they couldn't. "We have to beckon these three locations out of your head, remember?" she asked, looking at him with motherly patience.

He spread his arms. "So? We'll take a handful of atlases and books detailing certain landscapes with us and we'll enjoy a quite read in the afternoon sun! I'd suggest starting with the one with the giant tree amidst forest. Surely there is some mention about a natural sight such as this…" he suggested.

His eagerness was catching and that did indeed sound like a beautiful idea, but…

"We're not really supposed to take these books outside… the head librarian gets really quite… unhinged when this happens…" she opposed.

Link gave her a very dubious look. "Hmm. That's a shame. I was sure that these books, and the library for that matter, belong to the royal family. Now where can we find a member of them who would be willing to help us?" he asked.

Zelda's lips formed an amused smile. True enough… You couldn't really argue with that, could you?

-spacer-

They were sitting in one of the more secluded corners of the park-garden. The jungle, as Link called it, wasn't very suitable for concentrated studying… no real seating apart from the fountain rim where a careless move could doom one of the books to a watery grave… here, at least they had benches. Link had single-handedly carried one of the heavy wrought-iron monsters towards a second one so they could put their feet up. Zelda had marvelled at his strength… you wouldn't really guess it just by looking at him. No wonder he had lifted her up like it was nothing. She couldn't deny that she had quite enjoyed sitting on his shoulders… playing with his hair…

Focus, damn it!

On Link's insistence, she had brought pen and paper. He was currently busy drawing his vision. Whenever she could, she would glance sideways at him, at his concentrated face, at his sincere, big, deep blue eyes…

I told you to _focus_!

Whenever she leaned in and tried to get a look at his picture, he would move away and say "not done yet." with a slightly anxious voice. She loved watching his hands though… strong, but elegant. She had seen what they could do with a sword… now he moved his left deftly over the paper. She also enjoyed it an embarrassing lot when these hands touched her…

F.O.C.U.S. Damn you!

Bah. Hopeless! Focusing with him next to her, the sun glinting off of his blonde hair, was just impossible.

"By the way…" he suddenly started. "I see you have switched back to wearing a dress… I don't think I can forgive you for that." he chuckled without taking his gaze off his drawing.

Zelda looked down at her legs, a little perturbed, and felt herself blush. "Don't you… like it?" she asked, suddenly very uncertain.

He looked at her, surprised. Then he waved his hands negatively. "No no no no, that's not what I meant! I like it! It's just…" and she saw that it was now his turn to redden. "I like you in trousers even more… that's all I meant…" he mumbled.

Somewhat relieved she gave him an eyebrow-raised look. "You just want to seem my legs, you letch. Admit it!" She would not at all be cross if he said yes. She had always thought her legs were too scrawny, but, well, maybe she had been wrong?

"All day, every day!" he smirked at her, showing her a rather indecent eyebrow wiggle.

She felt her cheeks flush even more, though this time in delight. And because she knew just how she would win this little banter…

"You know what the advantage of wearing a skirt is, though?" Zelda asked him with a devious smile. She could see that he was a tad worried about what might come next. She scooted a tiny bit closer so she could whisper in his ear. "The advantage is, you leave more up to fantasy. For example… under all this cloth, my legs are completely… utterly… naked." She could see him swallow and she knew she had him. "All. The way. To the top." she purred.

Zelda knew she was probably red in the face… but no contest to the radiant crimson that had taken over Link's skin. Farore's mercy, that had been naughty! But he was reacting just as she hoped he would and it was glorious. She loved that she had such an effect on this well spoken, fascinating young man. It would be unfair otherwise… why should only he affect her so? This was redemption for the little episode in that one chamber underground where his one thoughtless remark had evoked a cascade of horrendously naughty thoughts… and images…

Don't think about it, for goddess' sake!

Link seemed to have rediscovered his speech. "This, of course, has been a great contribution to my ability to concentrate…" he said, both amused and slightly remorseful.

Zelda shrugged. "Well, then at least it's fair. I can not focus either right now." she admitted, smiling to herself.

"Truly? Surely the princess wouldn't be distracted by this simple lout's humble presence, would she?" he asked, grinning. His excellent redness was slowly fading, but she swore to herself that she would find ways to conjure it back up. She could hardly think of a more fun activity…

"It certainly is. I can hardly stand the presence of such a depraved wretch, blatantly intruding upon royal ground. Grayson, fetch the hounds!" she intoned haughtily.

He giggled nastily. "And here I am, without my sword, unable to defend myself against the oppression of the higher classes. Well I'm done anyway. Why don't you tell me the fruits of your research before you turn me into dog-fodder?" he prompted, obviously curious.

"Won't you show me your work?" she asked a little shyly.

"After that little murderous manoeuvre you just did? Certainly not! I'm still collecting bits of my brain that exploded off! You may have just turned me at least 5 times as dumb." he informed her, doing an appropriate grimace of gormlessness.

Its funny how weird compliments can get and still work wonders, thought Zelda. She felt quite a strong flutter of pride at her achievement. "So easily destroyed, your brain? Pity. What good would explaining my work be to you then, brainless as you are?" she wondered aloud.

Not a heartbeat later came the answer. "I'll just think with the other, slightly lower organ. As usual." he stated nonchalantly. Zelda's head whipped around and gave him an open-mouthed stare of astonishment. Had he really just said that? Oh no… there goes my face again… and there go my fantasies again…

Link turned his head back towards her, slowly, with a slightly pretentious look of calm chiding on his face. "The heart, Zelda. Not whatever you are thinking of. Really now…" he purred. Then, still stunned, she saw how close he was to bursting out laughing. "When I'm with you, I always think with my heart only…" he cooed, his face reddening, but mostly from suppressing the urge.

Zelda's mind was blank. He had taken her completely unaware with that. She was hopelessly torn between the shame that he knew what she had very obviously been thinking of, admiration for how smoothly he had tricked her and feeling all warm and fuzzy from his last corny but sweet remark. Three feelings jumping around madly in her brain, building a holy Triforce of Befuddlement.

His giggles finally burst forth, probably at the stupid face she was making in dazedness. He knew he had won this round completely. Thankfully her brain took the cue and made her laugh as well.

"I think I can retire on that one." Link pressed out between convulsions. "Seems I took your speech away!"

Zelda could only nod admittingly while giggling like a little girl. Goddess, he had finished her off with that. She still had no answer to shoot back! Anyway, it was worth it. She had come to love these wonderful laughing fits they shared. And she adored him for time and time again managing to send her spiralling into helpless giggling. His quick wit and mischievous sense of humour made him all the more fascinating.

When her convulsions finally ended she sighed deeply. With a little smile she leaned closer once more and gave him a little peck on the cheek. "Thank you." she whispered. He had certainly earned that.

He turned his head to look at her once again, their noses only centimetres apart. She looked from his lips that could smile so beautifully over his lovely nose to his honest, deep blue eyes… she loved those eyes of his, with all the gentle intelligence they radiated. She couldn't resist and leaned in once again. Kissing him still sent colourful sparkles from head to toe and back. Theoretically someone could just walk around the corner and see them, but she didn't care right now. It was just a brief thank-you-kiss anyway. After an all too short second she pulled back.

Now for phase B of the plan! Using his momentary dazzlement she, quick as a viper, snatched his drawing from his limp fingers and scooted out of his range.

"Hey! No fair!" he exclaimed between indignation and chuckling.

She sent him an impish smile, then studied the paper.

It was pretty good! He hadn't gone for great detail, naturally, but he had managed to capture the perspective well and it was immediately obvious what she was looking at. A forest surrounded by craggy hills on at least three sides, with one enormous tree towering over the others. The trunk of that singular thing must be at least a hundred metres tall… but it was barren. You could see implied on the paper that it was hollow, at least partially. Certainly a wonder of the world… a fascinating location. Just looking at this picture Zelda immediately wanted to visit it, to stand inside the massive trunk.

She looked up again. Link had moved closer again and his eyes were shifting from his drawing to her with a look of nervous anticipation. He looked like a little schoolboy who anxiously awaited his teacher's grading, hoping it would be good. It was possibly the cutest sight she had ever seen, him so tense for her judgement.

She held it closer to her chest. "May I… keep it?" she asked sheepishly, blushing a tiny bit. She could see the relief on his face and it nearly moved her to tears.

"I drew it for you. It's yours…" he mumbled, suddenly a bit shy. Three goddesses above, he could be adorable! It made her head go numb!

She gave him another little peck on the cheek and said: "I'll treasure it…" in a small voice. He looked away bashfully, rubbing his hands and she could see a streak of pink colouring his cheeks and nose. She loved seeing him like this… it made her go all mushy. This strong, confident boy suddenly sheepish, almost timid because of a few words from her… the emotions it evoked made her head spin in such a pleasant way…

He rallied somewhat (regrettably, a certain part of her thought) and once again asked her about what she had found out.

Ah well, back to business.

"Well, I attempted to find anything concrete about dragons… whether there is actual evidence that they existed, what they were and how they lived. Or, if that failed, I wanted to know what they usually symbolize, what the mythology around them is. Sadly I ran into a similar problem as when I tried to research the Threat… information and documentation just… stops before 2000 years ago. Oddly enough, my father led me to the conclusion that these two facts, or the absence thereof, are linked. These elusive agents of evil are apparently just as keen to eliminate knowledge about the dragons, as they are with knowledge about their master. That is one thing. Secondly, by combing through dozens of different stories and myths about them, I have been able to sieve out a few common themes. It usually speaks of three dragons, there, more often than not, is a link established between them and the power of the goddesses and, generally, they are considered to be creatures of good. Possibly the most interesting theme though, which I found usually in the older texts, is that, and I quote, 'the dragons' emergence from slumber portends catastrophe'. This is hardly ever expanded upon, but in an old transcribed Zora legend of the end of the world they speak of how a great conflagration scorches the land and evaporates all water and not even the dragons, 'guardians of creation', were able to stop it. Rather overly dramatic, but still… So, if we link everything together, my estimation is thus: The dragons have indeed existed in the past and may have played a role as allies during the last calamity. They have returned to slumber once the danger had been averted and now they need to be awoken to aid us once more." she concluded, ending her monologue.

She looked at Link to see what he thought about it. She found him ogling her with puppy-eyes and an almost wistful little smile. He… didn't say anything though.

"What?" she asked, suddenly unsure whether anything she had said made any sense at all.

He shook his head softly, as if to say 'everything's alright'. "I'm just impressed. And fascinated…" he muttered.

Zelda looked away, feeling herself redden for the nth time today. "Did you even hear a single word I said, you dolt?" she mumbled somewhere between being flattered and being indignant.

"Every word." he assured her softly. "I am amazed by your ability to garner so much information from so little." he continued, seeming genuine.

Oh, goddess, don't make me blush even more! "Well, most of what I said isn't really knowledge, you know… it's more speculation than anything else." she tried to relativise her findings. But by Nayru, it felt good to hear her efforts appreciated by him! She was so used to receiving _maybe_ a mere nod for her accomplishments that she didn't even know how fulfilling a few words of appreciation could be. Doubly so from him… She realized that she had subconsciously wanted to impress him, to show him that she too could carry her weight. To see that it had worked was a tremendously comforting feeling.

"Still, I think your reasoning is sound. Given how little information we have, this is a very coherent theory. Have you found any hints about what their actual role might have been? Or why they went into hibernation?" Link asked.

Zelda was glad that he had questions, or she would fear that steam could rise out of her ears. She had no idea how to deal with his compliments… She so rarely got any…

"Unfortunately, no." she admitted. "I can not tell you whether they actually joined the fight against evil or helped the past heroes in other ways. Judging by your vision it would appear that maybe their awakening is some sort of ritual that the hero, you, needs to fulfil to be able to wield the sword. But that's all complete conjecture… I'm sure it is not just some arbitrary steeplechase, though…"

He nodded thoughtfully. "Right, makes sense. Otherwise it would just be silly, wouldn't it?"

They spent the rest of the daylight hours trying to find the first location, the giant tree. Based on his drawing, Zelda attempted to find suitable spots on her father's atlas. Unfortunately Hyrule was both very large and rather mountainous. A few regions were poorly mapped… some parts were filled in with mountain ranges, but she suspected that there could be a number of valleys there that were simply so difficult to reach that no-one had bothered yet. Nevertheless she did manage to find a few interesting landscapes that could fit. She agreed with Link that the spot must be remote, as neither of them knew it offhand. An enormous tree like that would certainly be talked about, were it close to civilization.

While she noted the locations of promising areas, he pored over books about natural sights and scientific explorations. She was very pleased with the selection of books he had chosen. It spoke to her that he too had the makings of a scholar, which she definitely liked. Goddess, imagine if he was stupid! That would be sooooo awful!

Unfortunately, both didn't get very far. They could, with a modest degree of certainty, exclude some of the locations she had found on the map, but that still left them without a clear goal. Neither of them had really expected to have an immediate eureka-moment, but still… the only thing they truly learned today was how difficult finding only one of the three spots would be…

At about eight o'clock Zelda couldn't help but notice how tired Link looked. No wonder, she thought. How much sleep had he gotten between the end of his shift and the beginning of his training with the blademaster? Five hours at most! It was visible by how frequently he rubbed his eyes and shook his head that he had difficulty keeping focused. With a startling realization it dawned on her that he would have to stand guard at her door again this night… and _every_ night!

Goddess, I'm so dumb! Here I sit, idly, forcing him to stay awake when he needs to rest. She decided to stop right now!

"Alright, I don't think we'll get any more done today and my eyes are starting to glaze over…" she announced, perfectly happy to shoulder any reason to get him into bed herself. She had a sneaking suspicion that he would be too stubborn to admit that he was tired otherwise.

He looked at her, surprised, but after a few knowing seconds, also thankful. "Good. At least we got a view into the matter. I've stumbled across several other expeditions and books that were mentioned here. We can lunge at those tomorrow." he suggested. He tried to suppress a yawn, but he couldn't fool her. He rearranged the nicked bench, then took her back to her chambers. They remained silent during their walk back. She had the overwhelming urge to link arms with him, show everyone who might pass by what she felt and damn all ludicrous convention. But she didn't. 'Coward!' she scolded herself.

Once again they stood right in front of her doorstep. He smiled at her, tired, but warmly. She adored his smiles… it made her mind replay all the kind things he had said today… and the stupid ones that had made her laugh. She had even greatly enjoyed how eloquently he had made a fool out of her…

She held the drawing that he had gifted her and remembered his delightful blush when she had told him that she liked it. Her thoughts raced through her head, unsure what to do… it had been so risky the last time…

He said something, she didn't even catch it, so lost in thought she was… He turned to leave.

She couldn't just let him leave like that! She just couldn't! Damn it all!

For the second time in two days she stepped up to him, grabbed the collar of his shirt and pulled him to her. Again they landed against the double doors, their lips entangled in an increasingly hungry kiss. Zelda fumbled around for the doorknob. She turned it and they nearly fell inside. The servants never used the antechamber, they had their own entry. Now at least they were mostly out of sight…

Her mind went into the blissfully blank state that always came when they kissed. She raised her hand to his cheek, caressing the hair behind his ear with her fingers. She could feel his desire pouring from him… it met her own, so very much alike… like yesterday he pinned her against the door, now swung inwards. She could feel his whole body against hers… two puzzle pieces fitting perfectly together. Her heart raced and her breath went fluttery… each intake bringing with it his wonderful scent that turned her knees soft. She felt one of his hands at her waist, tentative still, but the message clear.

Dear goddesses above, she had to stop! But she didn't want to… so much in her insisted that they continue…

But once again, painfully, reluctantly, she snuck her hand between their touching chests and pushed softly.

She could feel his immense struggle, his profound aversion against stopping… but to his boundless credit, he let himself be forced away. She didn't know what she would do if he had resisted but an instant longer…

She looked at him, hoping to Farore's mercy that he wouldn't be too disappointed, that he would understand… she could see the anticlimax in his breathless face, the grief in his stunning eyes. She tried to signal in her own face how much it ached her too…

But she realized she didn't have to, let alone say anything… he understood.

"Cold bath again?" he asked again, remorseful but not without a certain humour.

"Definitely!" she breathed back, nodding fiercely.


	29. Chapter 28

Chapter 28

Zelda

The following two days passed in similar fashion. Waking up, research, breakfast, research, dinner, research, meet Link, research. Once Zelda actually managed to wake up early enough that she could still meet her valiant protector… even with clothes on! She had already had the doorknob in her hand when she hesitated. She could see how each day he became more exhausted… and she saw how bent he was on not showing it. If she walked out there now, she would occupy precious time that he could otherwise spend sleeping. A fierce fight between emotions had occurred within her that morning… she wanted to meet him so much that being this close, just separated by a stupid door, made it nearly unbearable… but she wanted him to get enough rest even more. She couldn't force him to… no… she couldn't let him force himself to spend time with her when he desperately needed every second in bed he could get. She knew he would…

So, a bit downcast, she peeled her hand off the doorknob and went back to her bedroom.

What made matters almost worse was: the last three nights she had slept as peacefully as a baby. Ever since the attempt on her life, her nights had been wrought with nightmares. So much so that she had almost been afraid to sleep at all. Now, however, everything was different… It was as if a subconscious part of her mind knew that he was just outside, guarding her… somehow this simple knowledge was enough that she just felt… safe.

That in itself was indescribably wonderful… something in her could sense that he was there and she quickly sank into dreamless slumber. The problem was: not only could she not adequately repay him for this priceless gift, worse, it was bought by his sleepless hours! She slept soundly at his expense! But what could she do? Not sleep? That would just be foolish and would undermine the whole purpose of his sacrifice. What then? She couldn't even do anything as simple as cook him tea that might help him stay awake. The princess wouldn't put so much care into a knight simply doing his duty. It would look very odd… Goddess damn it all that she had to be a princess! Yet another small reason why she didn't want to be one!

Research too was rather disillusioning. The two had successfully narrowed the location of the giant tree down to three spots in Hyrule. There were three problems though:

One: Who said all or any of the locations was in Hyrule?

Two: The three plausible areas excluded the blank spots on the map.

Three: The three areas were nowhere near each other.

So, simply setting off to explore them was quite out of the question. I would take months to visit all three of them. Granted, they could get lucky, but neither she nor Link wanted to rely on something as fleeting as luck.

That meant they had to narrow it down even further, which turned out to be extremely frustrating. Zelda began to understand how Impa must have felt, trying to piece to gather information on a topic that others had actively tried to destroy. It was like looking for a black cat in a dark room while your feet were tied together.

In the meantime Link had drawn the other two locations and had gifted the sketches to her. He said he wanted to put them on paper, just in case these memories did after all fade with time. Zelda had all three papers propped up on her desk so she saw them every time she passed. She liked looking at them… even though they were so closely associated with their perilous mission, they filled her with pleasant feelings. A beautiful triptych of fascinating locations. What more could a girl need? Besides… they were his gift to her…

Today started a bit differently. Zelda was suspended in that beautiful state between asleep and awake when she heard a knock on the door. It took her brain a while to sort this complex matter out. When she had finally worked out the intricacies of calling "yes?" the door already swung open.

"Still in bed, sleepyhead?" Sally yelled, loud enough to ensure that the last grains of pleasant sleep were blasted away.

Zelda buried her face in a pillow. "Not 'nymore…" she grumbled, muffled.

"Goodness!" she heard her cousin announce. "Surely I haven't anything to do with that, do I?"

"Saria, what do you want." It wasn't really a question. At the moment she felt more like kicking her out the door than listening to her… she sounded strangely overexcited and it clashed rather heftily with her slightly murderous mood of 'having been woken up'.

"Princess is grumpy today. You could at least do me the courtesy of showing me your face when we talk." she sang.

Something was going on but her head was still too much of an uncoordinated mess to figure it out. With an expression that probably screamed for cousin-blood she unburied her face from the pillow and squinted against the light of the rising sun. Everything was still blurry, but she could make out that Saria looked a bit… ruffled. Not overly so but not what you would expect a girl to look like when she had just woken up and dressed. Also… wasn't that the thing she had worn yesterday?

At least it did jump-start her brain a bit.

"What in…? Is everything alright?" Zelda asked, propping herself up on her arms.

"Perfectly. Now that I have your attention…"

"Seriously, Sally, are you ok?" she asked, getting a bit worried.

"Apparently I haven't got your attention. Yes, Zelda, I am ok. I am a tiny bit eager to go to bed and don't wake up until ever. And you happen to be currently obstructing my avenue to the realm of sleep, so…" Sally looked at her expectantly.

It took another moment, then it went click in Zelda's brain. "Have you been… out… all night?" she asked, her feelings a mix between curiosity, admiration and apprehension.

Saria sighed, slightly exasperated. "Look. I'd love to girl-talk about the magnificent night I had, but please… tomorrow. You have nothing to worry about, Ricco is a gentleman, and I am not _that_ … eager. I am only here because I happened to run into your lovely boyfriend, possibly the only hylian alive who understands the profundity of my tiredness. He asked me to tell you to meet him at two o'clock in the afternoon in your 'going-out dress'. And he winked as if I had any brainpower left to understand a word he was saying. I hope you do. Oh, and he said to bring his first drawing. Now, if you would excuse me, I seem to have already reached the state of giddiness that comes when you go far beyond tiredness. And trust me, nobody wants me in that state. So I shall endeavour to rectify this for the next month. Good day and good night!" she burbled, turned and left.

That entire story had taken her about 10 seconds to ramble out, so Zelda needed a few more for decoding.

Sally was fine. Okay. She apparently had an exciting night. Zelda was glad that she enjoyed her time with Ricco to the fullest… and she felt just a tiny bit of envy. Staying up an entire night, just she and Link, together… that did sound extremely alluring… Sigh… but when?

'Don't worry, Ricco is a gentleman.' What had that meant?

…oooh… right. That! Nayru's love, her brain was not yet ready to face the world today.

What's next? Meet Link at two o'clock. 'Sounds like I might take that proposition into consideration', Zelda thought eagerly. But wait… two? Wouldn't that interfere with his training? He wouldn't just skip on that would he?

… no, he wouldn't, she decided. Something must have happened. It was plausible that Sir Alistair might have to cancel occasionally since he was one of the highest military officials tasked with preparing for conflict…

Going-out dress… that only took a split second. Zelda smiled mischievously. Today at least she wouldn't have to listen to his complaining about her not wearing trousers, then.

Finally motivated to leave the comfort of her bed, she swung herself out. She stretched herself with relish, surprised to hear her lower spine creak. All that sitting around… well, apparently Link is taking me to the city today…

Excitement flooded her to an almost embarrassing degree. She had to think about how odd it was that going into her city, walking through her streets, visiting her markets filled her with that much wonder. It was rather sad…

They were hers only in name… if it weren't for that dear rascal, she'd probably never have the chance to simply experience all of it like a normal person.

Zelda the normal person… it has got a lovely ring to it…

With a sudden, almost startling realization she knew what it was that she loved about being with him so much… he made her feel normal! A normal girl who met with a normal boy. He didn't curry favour with her, he teased her remorselessly… He didn't mince words before her, he spoke openly… He didn't try to tell her what was best, he wanted her opinion and seemed to value it… But most importantly: she felt he was just there for her. And she adored him for all of this! …and then of course there was the not entirely unimportant matter of his gentle advances… For the first time since she could remember, she felt truly wanted. Not just… you know… that way, but also as a person. As Zelda. Not as the princess.

She stood rigidly in the middle of her bedroom while all those thoughts shot through her mind. They were both elating and very sad…

Was her worth so small that only he could see it? Because only he had bothered to look a bit deeper? Was the only reason she had any value in this world that she had to play some grand part in saving it? Who was she? Truly just a tool that fate chose to repair whenever it was needed? Did she serve no other purpose?

Zelda sunk back down onto her bed. The fact that she had seen her past self, so similar they could be twins, had bothered her subconscious for days. Now, suddenly, all those depressing thoughts and doubts had jumped her waking mind with a vengeance. It all boiled down to the question: Who was she? Could she even be anything besides a tool? Was her existence otherwise without any purpose? And once the tool's job was done, would it simply be discarded as it was no longer of use?

She swallowed, her dark thoughts threatening to overpower her. The only thing that spoke against that, the only ray of light that she could desperately hold on to… was Link. His attention, his affection, his… dare she hope it?... love was the only evidence against her being nought but a glorified implement. His support was the one thing that made her believe that beyond all that fate had ordained, there was a life worth living.

Farore's mercy… she should be happily preparing for another meeting with him… instead she was stunned by this angst conjured up by what felt like a lifetime of her existence being either tolerated or dryly expected. If Sally hadn't been her close, dear friend… there were times when she wondered what she might have done…

Goddesses help!... she felt herself teetering on the edge of depression.

… "Shit." Zelda suddenly said, rather to her own surprise. It was as if a tiny part of her mind had torn to the front and had forced her to say that word in a last effort to avert a crisis.

Zelda remembered the last time they had wandered through the city… when he had taught her to swear… a miniscule grin tugged at the corners of her mouth.

"Shit!" she said, a little louder. She hoped that no-one had heard. Saying it had felt pretty good though… Dare she go further?

She imagined Link's mocking face and placed a firm "Fuck!" in the room. She startled herself with how loud it had come out. What would the maids think if they heard?!

… "You know what? Fuck them!" she announced, noticing how heavy with emotion each of these lovely expletives was.

"Fuck them! Fuck all of them and their judgemental little minds! I shit on all of them!" she yelled, timid at first, but getting more energetic with each word. Oddly, the world didn't shake in its foundations just because she had a little… moment.

"All of you can go straight to hell! Except two of you, granted!" she added, unable to completely shed being Zelda. She just couldn't bear the thought of talking to either Sally or Link this way, no matter that neither of them could hear any of this. She felt like a fool… but at least she was being herself!

"Fucking fuck off for making me feel like shit! Piss on you for making me feel like the hylian equivalent of a fucking hammer. And fuck the world for being so shitty and weak that it needs saving. FUCK!" she screamed at the top of her lungs. Every word ripped the thick, stifling blanket of dark emotions. She shouted them out into the world, yelled them back where they came from… and she delighted in it!

"Fuck the Threat and its shit plans! Fuck you Impa for being a cryptic bitch and for thrusting this upon me without having any fucking answers. And _fuck_ you fa…"

"Is everything quite alright, your majesty?" a scared, trembling voice asked from the side. Zelda's head whipped around and saw a white-faced young maid look at her as if she was a demon. She felt a mixture of gleeful vengeance and sudden profound embarrassment. But, thankfully her princess-training took the lead.

She endowed the girl with a regal expression. "Everything is perfectly alright. That will be all, Daliah, thank you." she pronounced.

The poor girl, clearly hopelessly confused, curtsied and nearly ran back outside.

Once she was gone, Zelda felt herself snort, then giggle, then laugh like the maniac she apparently was. Bent over, holding her already aching stomach she thought 'Well, that will be some exceptional fodder for the rumour mill, I imagine!'

-spacer-

Laughing had helped tremendously. It appeared that Link's lesson on the wondrous world of scatology had provided her with a stupidly effective way to counter those dreadful emotions her brain cooked up increasingly often.

Zelda was currently standing in her undergarments in front of the mirror. To her own embarrassment she had felt the urge to (not for the first time, mind you) take a close look at her legs that, apparently, held a certain attraction to a certain young man. She turned this way and that, sometimes lifting her knee a little bit, flexing her foot up and down…

She couldn't see it. They were of decent length, granted, but to her they looked just… meh. Skinny, like the rest of her… As a small girl she had been as thin as a rake… thankfully that had passed now… a bit. Didn't men usually like women with big… circumference? She looked away from the mirror and down, frowning at the two of them as if that could make them grow. They were certainly there alright, she wasn't completely flat, thank the goddesses thrice, but still… if Sally took after her mother, she would probably soon be more… ro _bust_ than her! That would be an endless embarrassment. Yet another thing her cousin could mercilessly tease her with…

Then there were her hips… slender once again! Zelda felt reminded of the mad old crone of a Gerudo that had nearly caused a castle-wide uproar with her comment about her bone-structure. "Decent enough, I'd say. Shame about the hips though, hardly ideal for bearing children…" the wrinkly fossil had commented dryly. That had been a year ago… today Zelda might have shot something back, but back then she had been way too timid. Still, it didn't change the fact…

She sighed deeply… 'oh well. Can't be helped. Maybe one day I'll tease out of Link what sort of woman he likes…' she thought, blushing slightly.

Anyway, time to get dressed! Time to pick one of her two costumes with trousers! Brown or blue? Brown, of course! Nobody ran around in blue with the Hyrule crest on it, dummy! She really needed to get the seamstresses to make more for her. Not only for Link's sake… that too, she admitted… but also for herself. She liked the freedom of movement this legwear provided. Until now she had only ever worn it when she had trained fencing… now its use had expanded quite dramatically.

She pulled on the tight brown trousers and fixed them with a belt. Then she remembered that her shirt was supposed to be tucked in and she opened it back up to rectify her mistake.

"Lords and ladies, the princess of Hyrule!" she mumbled, annoyed. "Too stupid to dress by herself!"

Why did Link like her again?!

When she had successfully conquered her clothes she looked at herself once again. It did look pretty good on her, she had to admit. The tight fabric seemed to do some magic with her derrière… Maybe it wasn't her legs he was looking at after all…

…maybe she should walk in front of him more often, Zelda thought, grinning impishly and feeling her cheeks flush quite potently.

Well, dressed and ready! Let's go!

-spacer-

She saw him before he spotted her and the sight actually made her halt in her tracks, startled. She had only ever seen him standing straight-backed and energetic. Now that he had caught him unawares, she could see just how tired he must truly be. He was sitting on a low wall, hunched forward, his head resting in his palm. Zelda noticed him actually pinching himself painfully on his thigh to stay awake while waiting. It nearly broke her heart seeing him like this. Apparently he really had no swordsmanship lesson today as Sir Alistair needed to personally inspect the troops. And instead of getting his so well deserved rest he rather chose to spend time with her… A whole thunderstorm of emotion coursed through her… guilt, paired with delight at seeing him… sorrow that he had to push himself so, mixed with deep gratitude… anger that he was such a fool and didn't take better care of himself together with overpowering fondness for him because he did this for her…

Goddess above, what could she do? There were no words for how much she wanted to visit the city with him… but she too was willing to sacrifice something for him. But should she? Would he see it as rejection? Certainly the last thing she wanted was to exasperate him now that he already wasn't feeling well.

She decided that for now she would play along, but keep a very watchful eye on him. If it was obvious that he was already scraping the bottom of his energy, she would have to have a serious talk with him. Pride be damned, she wanted him to stay healthy!

Somehow, she was unsure how he did that, he suddenly looked up and right at her. He straightened up immediately and smiled brightly. She couldn't help but smile back. It would be flattering to assume that her presence just wiped away all those sleepless hours and maybe that actually played a part… but more likely it was just acting on his part… 'My idiot…' she thought fondly…

He jumped up and they both walked to meet.

"My lady, you look wonderful!" he said as greeting, immediately making her blush, the scoundrel.

"Are you looking at me, or my trousers, you knave?" she asked him in mock indignation.

"Yes." he answered most sincerely, making her snort softly.

Now that he was close she could feel how low his fire was burning and how much energy he had to invest to appear so dynamic. Good at acting he might be, but he couldn't fool her… and she didn't want him to think that he had to try.

"Link, listen…" she began, choosing her words very carefully. "I know you must be tired. I would really, truly love to go into the city with you…" she stepped a bit closer and took his hand in both of hers. She could feel the calluses on his palm and, strangely, enjoyed how they felt against her soft skin. "… but do you think it is a good idea? Wouldn't you rather have a few hours of sleep? And I want you to be honest with me!" she bid him.

He opened his mouth, then apparently thought better of it and closed it again. The he sighed, a little annoyed. "That obvious, is it?" he asked silently.

She gave his hand a little squeeze. "To me maybe… you know you can't lie to me!" she said, giving him an encouraging smile.

Another sigh. "I won't deny that a date with my bunk is enticing… but this is far more important to me…"

She knew that… that's what worried her.

"Besides…" he continued. "this will not only be for pleasure. That too, of course…" he interrupted himself, grinning, as if to ease any fears she might have had. Dolt!

"One reason is that yesterday I asked around if anyone knew a geographer and/or historian and apparently there is someone in the city who fits that description. If we present him with everything we know, he might provide that last elusive detail we can't seem to find." he explained.

Zelda looked at him, surprised. That sounded like an excellent plan! If it worked, it might save them days of painful research that led nowhere. "Where do we find that saintly man?" she asked, hardly daring to hope that it would be that easy.

"Harkenor road, apparently."

"And where is that?"

"No clue."

"How are we going to find it then?" she wanted to know, a tiny bit impatient.

"I have a few vague instructions. And, hey, the two of us working together… two nonlocals can get at least twice as lost." he quipped, chuckling.

Zelda made a face. "That sound promising. I can see it already… a few dodgy corners later and we're suddenly on Death Mountain, deep in a Goron mine…" she grumbled.

He chuckled, but waved it away. "Don't worry, I'm just teasing. I have a pretty good idea where to go. You did bring the drawing, right?"

"Certainly!" she affirmed. She had nearly forgotten it…

"Very well, then! Business first, leisure second, I always say!" he pronounced haughtily, curling an imaginary moustache with his fingers. A striking resemblance of 'generic self-important lordship', Zelda thought, giggling.

The set off towards the main gate of the outer castle. She really wanted to link arms with him, but even in this disguise she dared not… not as long as they were within the fortress.

Goddess, she hoped this guise would even work! Until now she hadn't even thought about it… true, it had worked before, but still… If you got right down to it, she only had her hair in a tight braid and wore trousers… that's it! But then again… maybe the simplicity made it work? And, of course, no-one had ever seen her without a long dress… it probably was just unthinkable that she could wear anything else…

For a few heart-pounding moments she was sure she would be caught… she would be barred from leaving and Link would get into monumental trouble…

But no… the guards nodded to him, glanced at her briefly and let them pass. Thankfully, an enormous household like Hyrule castle required a constant stream of servants, maids, traders, craftsmen, seamstresses, soldiers, guards and knights going in and out to keep it running. Even the most dutiful guard would find it utterly impossible to remember any individual's face. Zelda sighed deeply in relief. It also showed her how much illusion the security within the castle truly was… but she didn't want to think about that right now.

"So, who gave you that precious advice with the geographer?" she asked, already elated at seeing the busy streets of Hyrule city sprawl before her.

"Gors of House Gorridan." he answered. And upon seeing her questioning expression: "Yes, truly! He is a surprisingly philosophic young man. Now that I think about it, he might be the _only_ noble I have ever met who can speak a coherent sentence…" he added thoughtfully, resting his fingers against his chin in a thinker's pose.

Zelda nodded appraisingly. Challenge accepted!

"Truthfully? I might have to take a greater interest in him then… besides, you, I believe, are the first primitive peasant I ever had the questionable pleasure of encountering that could actually walk and breathe at the same time… an astounding find!" she purred enthusiastically.

He nodded approvingly. "Very true. We are one giant, sweaty, smelly, uncultured bunch of swineherds, breathing noisily while our eyebrows grow ever more united. Does that about meet your view of us, you powdered, pampered, pompous pack of poo-brained politicians?" he retorted very eloquently.

Goddess, she loved doing this with him, it was _so_ much fun! And the important part was, the winner was never certain!

"Why, you have it down to tee! We shall make a noble out of you yet!" she purred, knowing him enough by now that this would hit nicely.

And indeed, he stopped and exhaled noisily through his lips while laughing. "Pffffffffffffffffffffffff… right then! I have decided I no longer want this one. This princess is now for sale! I'm sure we'll find a new home for you on a ship sailing far, _far_ away!" he promised, trying to hold back his laughter.

Thankfully no-one paid them any attention, so the 'princess' went completely unheard.

She shrugged. "Anything to get away from your swineherd smell. Also, if slavery was legal, do you truly think that I would still choose to endure your pesky presence? Preposterous! Positively painful a policy that would be, keeping pointless pipsqueaks in my palace!" she countered, feeling quite proud. She still had the upper hand at the allegory game. But she had one more little nastiness for him.

"Oh, and, speaking of eyebrows…" she added, now acting perfectly serious. She stepped a bit closer and scrutinized the spot right between his handsome ones with a concentrated frown. "Yes… you really should give that some attention…" she concluded cryptically before walking away without another word.

She had just briefly seen the slightly panicked look in his eyes and had felt a devious glee. Good thing she had his back to him, or he would see how hard she tried not to laugh… 'Goddesses forgive me, that was soooo nasty of me!' she thought, only barely holding her giggles in.

She could feel him approaching from behind and he fell into pace with her. She could almost feel him vibrating with uncertainty. She also noticed him furtively looking around, trying to find his reflection anywhere…

She almost felt bad enough to release him from that particular terror she had wrought upon him… almost… she was only just discovering that particular side about herself… and she had to admit, she rather enjoyed it…

They walked in near silence for about ten minutes. Occasionally Link asked someone for directions, but, as he promised, he had a pretty good idea where to go and they quickly reached Harkenor road, an upper middleclass area by the looks of it. They were about to enter the man's house when she could sense him stirring.

"So… that was a joke, right? The eyebrow thing?" he asked, seeming terribly forlorn. Zelda gave a sympathetic little laugh and cupped his cheek with her hand. Maybe she had overdone it just a tiny bit… "Of course it was, silly!" she whispered, looking deeply into his uncertain eyes. She stood on tip-toes and gave him a short but heartfelt kiss on the lips. That seemed to have helped somewhat. She smiled encouragingly at him, still looking into his fascinating, blue eyes. Slowly but surely the corners of his mouth were tugged into a smile as well. "You devious little devil! You've certainly won this one… but… Please don't do that again. You really had me worried there…" he asked of her with his big, trusting eyes.

She felt a bit bad, but also relished her victory. Against him, they were hard earned… Still, it had been rather nasty… "Aw, sorry. I didn't mean to scare poor little Linky. I like your monobrow just the way it is!"

… and so was that! Before he could react she kissed him again and turned to the door.

Okay, enough evil for today!

She knocked and few seconds later an elderly man opened. He looked the sort of fellow who rarely got visitors so he didn't bother to shave. He also seemed a bit puzzled at seeing to 'youngsters' at his door. "Yes? Can I help you?" he creaked, as if using his voice was also a rather rare occurrence.

Since Link was tired, and she had just tormented him enough for a few months, Zelda decided to speak. "Greetings, Sir. Do we have the honour of WHAAH!" she yelled. Something had just pinched her… rear! And there was only one possible candidate… who immediately spoke up. "Please excuse my girlfriend, good Sir. She has these little fits, nothing serious though, I assure you. My name is Link, this enchanting young lady is Sally and I assume you are Alwick Rodricksson. We are scholars, Professor, and in need of academic guidance!"

Zelda had whipped around and stared at him incredulously. He had just pinched her somewhere he had no business placing his fingers and then acted as if she was some kind of loon! That had been very swift revenge, she had to admit… she had won a round… but he had already a sizeable head start on the next one… She didn't know whether to slap him or giggle in admiration. The 'girlfriend' pacified her a bit…

"Scholars are you? A little young, seems to me…" he judged, frowning at Zelda still. She could feel herself blush in shame. Well alright… he could be nasty too.

"True, we are young. Yet when is the pursuit of knowledge more pressing than in one's younger years, Professor?! We believe we have already gotten pretty far in this particular matter, yet the last decisive details elude us. Would you not help two aspiring colleagues, Sir?" Link sang with a, to her, hilarious mixture of sincerity and complete and utter rubbish. She could see how he could finagle his way out of a lot of situations with his charm. She might even allow him to continue on living after that little manoeuvre, she decided, actually pretty amused, even though she was still quite embarrassed. But, she guessed, she had it coming… and she had come to enjoy his little revenges quite a bit… Even if they overstepped the boundaries a tiny bit… or possibly because they did…

The old scholar seemed to be convinced by Link's heavy assault of steer excrement. "True enough young man, true enough. Very well, I'll not have it said that I close my door to people seeking knowledge! Come in!" he invited.

Link walked past her with an astute little grin in her direction. Zelda couldn't help but give one back.

-spacer-

They left the old man's stale smelling house about four hours later. It had been tedious getting him to understand what they wanted… initially he had suspected them of wasting his time with fairytales. When Link's charm had hit its limit, Zelda's womanly one had been met with success. It turned out that once they had him enthused on their query, he had been nearly unstoppable. Even though the rest of his house had rather forced upon them the impression that they dealt with a complete slob, his library of books and maps had been perfectly organized. He had praised them for what they had already achieved with so limited means, oblivious, of course, to the fact that they had had the royal library at their disposal.

The aging geographer could immediately tell them that none of the blank spots on the map they had been worried about had anything. He had nearly encyclopaedic knowledge and could tell them immediately how many expeditions had taken place around each of these ranges, when they had been and what they had found.

That left the three areas they had already narrowed it down to. To their elation, the old scholar could, after one brief look into one of his notes, assure them that the southernmost spot was out of the question. He had personally led an expedition there and he hadn't come across anything that resembled the tree in Link's drawing. That left two. Two relatively similar stretches of forest. Both huge, both had parts that were surrounded by hills or mountains, no ways or paths led to a spot where these parts might be easily examined… that posed a problem. Professor Rodricksson, to his own dismay, had to admit that to his knowledge it was conceivable that what they were looking for was at either spot. Link and Zelda had almost said their thanks and farewells right there. He had helped them tremendously already and they didn't want to intrude further…

And then Zelda had had an idea. She had turned to Link and whispered: "We assume the agents of the Threat have targeted all the knowledge of the dragons too, correct?"

He had nodded. Zelda had frowned in thought. "Then, couldn't there be a marked difference in research between the wrong spot and the one where the dragon actually resides? Couldn't we detect a notable lack of exploration around the correct location?" she asked, hoping that she didn't make a logical fallacy.

Link had concentrated hard for a few seconds, but his face had gradually lit up. He had looked back at her with an expression of admiration that had nearly brought tears of joy and pride to her eyes. "Zelda, you are _brilliant_!" he had exclaimed. Thankfully the old researcher had been too busy mumbling over his maps to notice that her real name had slipped out. They had spent the next five minutes explaining to him that they were thinking of going on an expedition themselves, but they wanted to, of course, tackle the area that was poorer documented. Zelda asked him if he would be so kind to show them the notes of all the past excursions to the two sites. Excited, the professor had scurried around to find all the transcripts of the explorers' notes that he owned. In the end, it was almost laughably obvious… He owned 13 such transcripts for the woods to the west, and only one for the east… and that one was aborted two days in… He was rather confused by this himself, he hadn't ever really thought about this discrepancy… He could list a number of supposed explorations that were cited in literature at some point, but now that he thought about it, he hadn't ever read one of the original explorer's notes in his whole academic career…

Link and Zelda felt excitement rise in them like hot air. Could it be that they had actually found it? Had the overly successful purge of information in the end led them to their goal? The irony alone would be delicious…

Soon after they had left a slightly befuddled professor Rodricksson who promised them and the world in general that he would uncover the mystery of why documentation was so elusive… he seemed to take that almost as a personal insult. They left his house nearly drunk with the feeling of achievement. They had their destination! Finally!

Zelda couldn't stop herself from smiling as she walked besides Link. "You are brilliant!"… those had been his words… somehow those three simple words from him almost felt better than a kiss. Her chest seemed filled to bursting with warm, bubbly pride, a sensation that was very new to her. She noticed he was looking at her out of the corner of his eye. She turned towards him, slowing down their walk. He looked at her for a second, she still with that wide happy grin on her face. Then he suddenly stepped forward, grabbed her shoulders and kissed her.

Initially she stiffened and made a little surprised sound. Everybody could see! _Everybody_! After a moment, however, she realized that she didn't care and she melted into his wonderful embrace. She could hear a few laughs from the people around and some even started clapping. She had to grin herself, her lips still pressed against his and she giggled into his face. By the goddess, not caring felt marvellous!

After what felt like an all too short eternity, he released her, but still held her close. His face was flushed as he looked into her eyes with that look of pride that made her skin tingle. "Sorry, but I couldn't help it. I had to! I am just… overwhelmed…" he softly said. Goodness, he had tears in his eyes! And that loving look he gave her… Farore's mercy, he was going to make her cry! She could already feel hot tears well up… Laughing a bit ashamed, she wiped her eyes. They were born of pure joy, true, but she still didn't want to him to see her all emotional like this.

As if he had read her mind, he embraced her once again, his right arm around her shoulders and his left on the back of her head. She rested her cheek against his chest, thankful that she could try to control her emotions that threatened to bubble forth without him seeing her. It was a stupid thing to worry about, she knew… but she couldn't help it. As a princess you had to be near emotionless, all feeling abraded off… She certainly didn't want to be like this with him, but still… you couldn't go all soppy either, could you? She felt his fingers gently caressing her head… She slung her arms around him too and pulled herself even tighter to him. She could hear his calm breathing where her ear touched his chest.

Zelda tried to engrave this moment in her memory. Tightly embraced, she nearly floating with both her and his pride, so happy that the tears didn't want to stop welling up… I want to stay like this forever…

She could sense him wiping his eyes as well and she felt another little giggle piping up. She had never experienced this… such fierce joy from someone for something she had discerned or done. A single little sob escaped her before she could control it. She wanted to let it out, but she just couldn't. It already felt so wonderful… so fulfilling. He gave her the feeling, the confirmation that she could be proud of herself… that she was allowed to… that he wanted her to. She would carry that incredibly sweet notion with her now, in her heart… hopefully, she could repay this momentous gift at some point. But right now… for once… she wanted to selfishly enjoy it. And he let her, content with just holding her for as long as she wanted.

Zelda couldn't say how long they stood there, in the middle of the street, uncaring of the world around them. When she felt that the initial rush of emotion had passed and she was comfortable with the gentle afterglow, she slowly, reluctantly peeled herself out of his arms. He watched her with the slightly sheepish, but playful smile she adored so much. It seemed like he had also brought his feelings under control… good. She didn't want to show the good people of Hyrule two sentimental teenagers sobbing in each others arms! What sort of image would that leave?! She giggled at her own, absurd thought. But, apparently, both of them really were a bit mushy… eh, and why not?

"So. Where will you take me now, my soppy fool?" she asked, putting all the tenderness she felt for him in her little insult.

"Well, my weepy little genius, I don't know about you but I am hungry." he announced with refreshing straightforwardness. "Why don't we introduce you to the culinary world outside of palaces?"

Now that he mentioned it, her stomach was a little empty… and right now, she felt like she could take on the world. So why not start with dinner? "I thought you'd never ask…" she cooed, hooked her arm into his and off they went.

-spacer-

"This is the place, I think…" Link said, looking thoughtful.

Zelda was amazed by how many street restaurants there were in Hyrule city… some streets were completely impassable for anything larger than a pedestrian due to the wild mix of tables and chairs.

They were standing in front of a relatively modest establishment, simple wooden tables and not even a pillow on the chairs. But, she noticed, there were comparatively more customers here than at other, more visually enticing ones.

"Who recommended this one to you?" she asked, now eager to get a bite to eat after they had wandered through a multitude of tantalizing smells.

"Ricco, unsurprisingly. Where there's good food, he's not far. And he does know his way around delicious cooking, I can tell you!" Link promised.

They sat at one of the few unoccupied tables. Zelda felt both very curious and slightly nervous. To her shame she had to admit that she had very poor knowledge of what the common man ate. Would it even taste good to her? Wasn't it possible that she had been so spoiled by her kitchen's food that this would be a gruelling experience? She hoped not! She had enough of academic fulfilment today, she wanted to discover something as simple and fascinating as her people's food. And she wanted to like it!

"You seem a bit unsure…" Link asked, startling her a bit. His expression was a bit worried… had he had similar thoughts?

"I… am, to be honest. I feel like a complete idiot admitting this to you, but I have only… cursory knowledge of what is actually eaten outside of… you know." she admitted, feeling herself blush slightly because of the ludicrousness of it all.

He chuckled amiably. "I suspect we have been thinking along the same avenue. I have just been wondering what _you_ usually eat. My mind, of course, has immediately sent me on a journey of the most ridiculous foods it could imagine…"

"Like?" she prompted, grinning, genuinely interested in what he imagined would be part of her daily meal.

"Boar's tripe fried in aurochs dripping? With honey?" he answered without skipping a beat. She immediately started giggling at the nonsense. "Giraffe's necks stuffed with bear black pudding? No?" he continued, his face carefully blank.

She shook her head in and made a frown of disgust, still laughing. "Rubbish! Though, admittedly it does sound decadent enough for some noble families…" she added disapprovingly. "But it's still rubbish!"

"Tell me, then! What is worthy food for the princess' plate and palate?" he asked.

"Currently there is a fad about sweet food. So the honey part of your nonsense was actually spot on. Pancakes filled with berries and jam, candied fruits, chocolate over everything… and while I can't deny a certain… affinity to sweets…" she blushingly confessed, leaving the sentence unfinished. Link, that rascal, raised his eyebrow at her, looked pointedly around the table at her waist, then back to her.

"I can just imagine your unrestrained orgies…" he stated, dripping with sarcasm.

Was there anything around she could throw at him?

"Well, you probably won't find anything as expensive as chocolate here. Simple, but good is the pleb's motto!" he joked.

A serving girl of about 18, clearly in a hurry with all the customers, came by their table. "Wha' can I getchu?" she spoke hastily. Zelda actually had to take a second to decode what had just been mumbled at her.

"Two lemon water and two today's please!" Link ordered, friendly. Zelda was surprisingly pleased to notice that he did not ogle her almost scandalous cleavage. Only after the fact did she realize how much it would have annoyed her if he had. 'Especially since that lady's were quite a bit larg…' a nasty voice supplied before Zelda cast it down into the abyss.

"Shouldn't she ask what we want?" she asked a tad confused, when the girl had left.

She sensed that he was about to laugh, but thankfully he caught himself. "Well, most of these taverns have only one warm meal per day. That's enough, isn't it? Usually they can also get you some small stuff… a loaf of bread, an apple…" he explained. More and more Zelda felt like an uncultured idiot… in her own culture! Rather frustrating…

Thankfully the service was quick and they got their meals. A sizeable bowl of brown sludge stood before her, with what appeared to be a dumpling about the size of a man's fist. She felt Link watch her, but didn't want to give him the satisfaction of looking like a spoiled, cowardly brat. She took a nose full of the steam that rose from the bowl. Her mouth immediately started to water… it smelled delicious! Encouraged she grabbed the wooden spoon next to the dish, dipped it in tentatively and nibbled a bit of the thick stuff off. Her eyes widened and an unbidden smile spread on her face. It tasted strong, richer in flavour than what she was used to… it was simple… just beef stew with salt, black pepper and possibly a bit of spicy hot pepper as well. It was sublime! She dug the spoon back in and fished out a chunk of meat. It melted in her mouth, more fibrous than the cuts they had in her kitchen, but also more intense in flavour. Oh, this was wonderful! Now the dumpling! She looked but couldn't spot a knife… had they forgotten to give her one? She looked around, almost hastily, not wanting to stop her eating. She noticed that everyone seemed to have their own knives with them… Zelda looked back. Link had reached over and, with a caring and amused look in his eye had already started to cut the huge treat for her into bite-sized bits. "Thank you…" she mumbled, slightly embarrassed, before continuing the feast. It appeared to be a potato dumpling, soft like cotton and fitting beautifully with the rich aroma of the stew.

Goddess Nayru have mercy, she'd have a huge belly after she had eaten the whole bowl, but right now, she cared not! Simple and delicious, just as he had said! She let out a sigh of pure relish, then noticed that Link was looking at her with a most amused expression. "What?" was what she meant to ask… given that her mouth was filled to the brim, it came out more as "Mwap?"

He just smiled and shrugged, apparently content that she liked it. If he was amused by the lack of refinement she currently portrayed by stuffing her face, he could continue for all she cared. She had to get to the bottom of this bowl, all else mattered little!

She wiped the bowl clean with the last bit of dumpling, put it into her mouth appreciatively and licked her fingers clean. She leaned back with a contented sigh.

"Now that… was beautiful…" she heard Link say, equally full judging by his voice.

"Mhm." she only hummed.

"That is to say, watching you wolf down as much as me. A truly marvellous sight!" he chuckled. "I guess I have to apologize! Purely by the looks of you, I thought I might have to eat half of your portion as well. Now I truly can imagine how unrestrained your orgies would be…"

Zelda opened her eyes again and gave him a lopsided smirk. She felt so full like never before in her life… she desperately wanted to loosen her belt by one hole… or six… She hoped that he couldn't see her gut… But it had all been worth it.

"If orgies include food like this, I might be persuaded…" she mumbled impishly. He grinned back, showing a bit of redness on his cheeks.

He leaned forward. "You have a little… let me!" he told her and wiped a tiny brown speck away from her cheek. Damnation, had she really eaten like such a slob? Now she felt herself redden a tiny bit… But between showing her date ladylike behaviour and, well, food… there was no contest.

Link, with an impish grin of his own, delicately stuck the tip of his finger in his mouth, eliminating the last incriminating evidence of her feast he had just removed from her skin. "Delicious." he cooed.

Now she blushed furiously. Goddess, he was such an idiot! But she loved every one of his antics…

Link waved the waitress over and asked for the prize.

A realization hit her like lightning. She had no money! She never carried money! You didn't need it in your everyday life as princess… and, feeling once again like an utter moron, she was completely unused to the concept of paying for something. Goddess damn it, why hadn't she thought of that?

But without asking or even looking at her, Link paid for both of their meals. Zelda felt so ashamed she wanted the ground to swallow her up! It was just absurd… he, a boy who could probably hold all his possessions in his hands easily had to pay for the princess' food. It embarrassed her more than she cared to admit. Once again he had saved her…

When he looked back at her, he frowned in surprise. "What?"

She shifted uneasily. "You shouldn't have…" she quietly mumbled.

"Of course I had to!" he stated, bemused about her reaction.

"But you're… I mean…" she stammered, helpless.

"Look. I invited you because I wanted to. I didn't even think about not doing that… there never was a doubt in my mind. And if that makes you feel uncomfortable, get used to it, 'cause I plan to invite you as much as I possibly can." he muttered back, making a slightly bashful face. She saw how, adorably, even his ears turned red.

"But… it doesn't feel right… I'm the pri…" she whined.

"No you're not." he said firmly. "Not when you're with me. You're Zelda then!"

He stood next to her and, with an affectionate smile, he offered his hand. "Come then. Let me carry you back home, my little dumpling."

Almost as if in a daze, she accepted his hand and let herself be pulled up. Could he possibly know how much those few words meant to her? …no. Probably not. But it didn't really matter. Those words he had just said were precisely why she cherished him so very much.

-spacer-

Since the visit to the geographer had taken so long, they had decided to go back, much to Zelda's reluctance. Now that they knew where to go, they both were highly motivated to plan their route. Zelda was already bustling around the castle library, while Link pored over her father's maps. She was thinking furiously how to prepare and what to bring and how they'd travel and and and. She was pacing around excitedly, talking non-stop.

He almost had to drag her back to the desk so she would help him in a more orderly manner.

They measured how many kilometres were between Hyrule and the Faldorn woods. They checked how many villages they could conceivably pass on their way. They experimented with different routes, discussed their advantages and disadvantages…

Zelda suggested passing between the Twin Peaks instead of following the North road longer and then cutting straight due east.

Link thought about it, rubbing his eyes. "We would save about a hundred kilometres, true… But is there an actual path between them or would we have to find our own? Because that might actually take longer than staying on the road…" he reasoned.

Zelda had to admit that he was right. "Wait, I'll get us a description of the Peaks." she suggested and jumped up again. The shadows were already getting long in the high hall. She whisked around a few corners where she knew she would find a book that would help. She found it within minutes and walked back, already browsing.

"Do you thi…" she started, but silenced herself when she saw that Link's head rested on his arms on the table. His eyes were closed and he breathed peacefully.

She had almost completely forgotten how tired he was… and seeing him like this brought that knowledge back painfully.

Still… he looked so irresistibly cute, she noted with a sly smile. With his smooth, handsome face calm and his dark blonde hair in front of his mouth swinging gently with each breath. She felt the almost compelling urge to gently brush through his hair… For at least a minute she just stood there, watching him lovingly. This wonderful boy that gave her so much… helped her so much… made her feel at home.

She snuck outside to order a blanket be brought. When it arrived a few moments later, she unfolded it and carefully placed it over him.

He stirred a little and opened his dreadfully tired eyes. "Zelda? I'm sorry…" he mumbled but she was having none of it.

"Ssshhhhh." she shushed him softly. "Sleep. Everything is alright!" she whispered comfortingly. She gently caressed his head, deeply enjoying both the feeling of his hair and being able to give him a little bit of the affection, that he so readily gave, back. "Sleep, Link." she breathed and gave him a wisp of a kiss on the cheek. She suspected he didn't even notice, for he had already drifted back under the desperately needed blanket of slumber.

She sat down besides him, her right hand remaining on his head to continue giving him tender caresses. She wanted to, even in his dreams, give him the feeling of safety… and that she was there and wanted him to rest. She continued the planning on her own, with one hand… and felt simply content.


	30. Chapter 29

Chapter 29

Link

Everything was quiet, as it had been for the last four nights. The biggest action he had seen during his guard duty was when one of the servants had drunkenly fallen on his face in the middle of the night. If that was the one thing that stood out, Link reflected, then by Farore's mercy, you have a boring job.

Thank the Three, the sun was already rising. And thank this wonderful blonde angel for letting him get a few hours of sleep. If lying halfway on a hard table with only your hands as pillows was the most epically delightful sleep you have ever gotten, he reflected again, you have a nasty job.

Still, those two or three hours had been a goddesssend. He couldn't be sure, but he thought he had felt Zelda's gentle touch on his head… probably just his imagination, but still… something had made this nap feel as if he'd had a full night's rest. Yesterday's shift he more than once had to vehemently pinch himself to keep awake… today it was easy! He even managed to get a bit of reading done! He knew he shouldn't and it would get him into a lot of trouble if he was caught reading… but he figured that spending time learning as many survival tips would benefit both him and Zelda more on the long term. Hyrule could be a harsh place… how to keep warm (or cool), how to protect against insects, which berries and mushrooms to pick in regions that he wasn't familiar with… all knowledge that could save their lives. In the heartlands there would be no problem. He knew his way around all flora and fauna here… but outside? That would be a bit more challenging. Especially since he had to teach Zelda everything she needed to know to survive on her own. If he got hurt, she'd have to be able to make it back to civilisation…

Link sighed… so many things to think about. Thankfully, Zelda was smart… definitely a good bit smarter than him. She'd learn quickly, even if she probably had only a very rudimentary idea of survival in the wilderness right now. Link, at least, had basically spent his childhood in the woods around Ord, foraging, hunting, building shelters with Ric and Mart… they had stayed away for days, sometimes even a week or two, much to his mother's dismay (and to the dismay of his own buttocks afterwards…) But back then they could always have just returned to the safety of the village if something had gone wrong. They would have no such luxury on their quest. Any problem they would need to solve on the fly… So he needed to be doubly and triply prepared.

If he was being honest with himself, he couldn't wait until they got going, though. Standing around each night was not how he had planned to spend his younger years… He would of course do it, without hesitation, for he knew how important Zelda's safety was. To both the world and ever increasingly to him… But going on a cross-country camping trip with this stunning wonder of nature sounded so much more alluring than gradually forming two foot-sized grooves in the stone in front of her chambers. Even if the outcome of said trip was very uncertain…

-spacer-

Thankfully the man who was his relief was of the punctual sort. After eight hours of standing on the same spot with only minimal possibility for movement, his body always ached. The rather infuriating part was it ached both to lie down and to _move_! And since he had no interest in founding the high art of reclined swordsmanship, he always had to choose. As today held another torturous session with Sir Alistair for him, he would normally have chosen rest. The grizzled old maniac had only increased the tempo with which he endeavoured to grind Link into the ground after he had heard that sleep had become but a sweet, distant memory.

"Heh heh… good! Then you can learn what it feels like to fend off a few dozen Moblins after their howling has kept you awake for the last three days. Build's character!" he had smirked evilly. Link suspected that it might indeed build the character… of a murderous lunatic that is! But he kept that to himself. The blademaster definitely looked like he didn't get enough sleep either… no wonder, with the preparation of an army needing overseeing. Link would only need to take care of one person other than himself out there... The aging knight had to keep thousands alive and fed… He did not want to swap with him…

Today, however, Link had to deny himself his date with madam pillow once again, no matter how enticing she looked. He was finally going to meet Ricco to roam through the city, as they had planned even before all the madness in the arena. Actually, Link was surprised that his big friend was taking time out of his busy schedule of trading scathing insults with Saria… Link had to grin slyly… if he had to make the choice between spending time with Ric and Zelda, the big guy would fly headfirst into a ditch by the road before he knew it, he thought to himself, not being entirely serious. No, of course he wouldn't do that… he'd just politely, but firmly, ask him to bugger off.

In all seriousness, he was greatly looking forward to this meeting. Being with Ricco might, for just a few hours, help him forget how daunting his task was. Maybe he could just have fun with his childhood friend… He did, however, have one specific plan for today. The idea had ripened in his head upon seeing how uncomfortable Zelda had gotten when he had paid for her dinner… In that too he would need his friend's help…

Link was currently heading towards the fighter's compound, their meeting place. He could already see him standing around, blocking half the street with his bulk. The guy was fifteen and already bigger than most adults! How large would he get?

Ric spotted him. "Link! Partner in crime! Which venerable venue will we visit, oh valorous vriend?" he hollered across the street so that _every_ head turned towards him. Link cringed, both because of the sudden attention and the dreadfully haphazard alliteration. Still, he had to grin. He had missed Ricco's uncaring personality… He was the type who, if half the world saw him as lunatic, would go out and not rest until the other half thought so too... because he doesn't do things by half-measures.

"Vriend?! Villain, valiant, wanker, even willy… so many possibilities and you go with vriend?!" he questioned, shaking his head in exasperation.

They grabbed each other's forearm in greeting, grinning at each other. "I thought I had to scrape the bottom of the barrel, you know, get down to your level… But apparently all that time in the castle is leaving an impression! You have begun to learn words longer than willy!" he shot back without hesitation.

"Longer than most." Link said his countenance carefully blank. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed the bemused expressions of the passers-by. Unsurprisingly the good, virtuous people of Hyrule were quite unused to madness of their special Ordian brand. Well, they were about to get the full experience!

The two started walking towards the central market place. To Link's sheer bottomless surprise, Ricco's first question revolved around the fairer sex. "So! How are _things_ progressing?" he asked in a tone of voice that made it unmistakable. But Link wouldn't be himself if he offered everything so easily to the nosiest boy alive. "

"Oh, still knight-aspirant. Training's going well. Sir Alistair is even more demanding than the old bear! If Russel was tough as nails, that madman is a solid block of steel, with about the same capability for humour!" he answered, exaggerating slightly.

The big lad's reaction came as expected. "Yes, yes, I'm near vibrating with interest for some old sword-swinging swaggerer! Unless of course you started dating him… Of course! It all makes sense! Gee, Link, I didn't know! And here I was, spending years of my life introducing you to fine young ladies, even got the princess to take an interest in your pitiful hide, and now I learn it was all for nothing! You should have said!" Ric blustered, feigning indignation for all his imagined wasted efforts.

Link spluttered in laughter. Now that was not what he had expected… but he rallied quickly. "Sure. I mean, you should have realized… all this training, first with Sir Russel, then Alistair… I just looooove seeing old men getting all sweaty… Mmmmm!" he grunted predatorily, with just a tad of sarcasm in his voice.

It had the desired effect. Ricco shuddered in disgust and made a face as if he had just bitten into a raw onion. "Oh Farore's mercy, the images this conjures up! Brrr." Then he made a wry smile again. "Would you like me to buy you a bottle of oil? You know, for your 'swords'?" he asked, obviously enjoying his cleverness immensely.

Now it was Link's turn to look a bit piqued. "I think, the direction we are going is getting rather low in standard… as in a horde of Gorons couldn't dig so low in a thousand years…" he remarked.

Ricco gave a satisfied nod. "Ahh… then we have reached my comfort zone! Join me and revel in depravity, my tiny friend! It is the only thing left when the thin veneer of moral is off!" he pronounced wistfully.

"No need to poke holes in said veneer already, though… Isn't it a little early for philosophy? Or, you know, your superficial equivalent of it?" Link questioned. He graciously ignored the 'tiny friend' remark.

"Very well, back to women then! Answer already! On a scale from Ord guttersnipe to prince of Hyrule, how's it going?" Ric chuckled, giving his friend a hearty clap on the back.

Link laughed, rubbing his right shoulder which suddenly had a slapping reminder that it was still a bit slashed. Prince of Hyrule… he hadn't even entertained that very, _very_ far-fetched thought for a second until now. Should he? "I'd say I have comfortably reached 'stray dog within outer castle' level. Sometimes I even get food!" he joked, knowing it would further irritate the big guy with its absolute lack of information.

"Are the occasional royal belly-rubs good at least?" he rumbled, his expression innocent.

Link immediately felt himself redden to somewhere between cherry and tomato, thinking of a slightly different sort of… belly-rub. Goddess damn you, Ricco!

"Oh ho ho! Could it be that I, linguistic marksman extraordinaire, have hit the proverbial bull's eye?" he delighted, grinning widely.

"N… not yet." Link admitted, feeling uncharacteristically sheepish.

"Ah well. But from the radiance of your face I gather that all is going well? You're making it work?" the big guy quested.

"You are being rather nosy today, aren't you…" Link evaded.

"What else is new? Haha, you should see your face… you could fry a steak on it!" Ric chuckled, then shook his head. "My word, what a catch! My little boy and the P of H. I'm proud of you! Without any facetiousness for once… I'm happy for you, brother!" he mumbled and put his heavy hand on the smaller boy's shoulder.

'Bundle of overboiling emotion!' Link thought, amused and really quite moved. The wonderful thing about Ricco was, you knew that everything he said came from his heart. Or, at least from his stomach. Very rarely did anything stem from his brain…

To cover up his own threatening emotionality, he prepared for his riposte.

"Well, you seem to be doing just fine yourself. I feared that prickly little ball of cynicism and you might be at each other's throats within seconds, but apparently I was wrong?" he questioned, also quite interested in Ric's conquest.

"Oh we are. We definitely are! But not in the way you're implying…" he replied with a sly little grin. "No, seriously, that girl is a handful…"

"Literally in your case…" Link couldn't help but remark, given the difference in size.

"That too. I suspect that will come in handy if she ever lusts for my blood, which I am not yet convinced couldn't happen any second… but no, she is such a fascinating character. If there was a goddess of sarcasm, Saria would make her cry out of inadequacy within minutes. Her cynicism could probably sour the milk of all cows in the country… and I love every second of it!" he stated proudly.

"I'm not sure whom I should pity, you or her…" Link joked, grinning.

Ricco gave him an expression of merciful indulgence. "My poor boy... If she and I are together, you should pity the rest of the world!"

-spacer-

It was amazing how much food could be at one place! Hundreds of stalls on the central market plaza and seemingly millions of different types of vegetables, fish, meat, fruit… it was a hungry boy's dreamland! And it was magnificent how much free stuff you could get! Not because people were so very generous, but with the sheer amount of stalls and enough persistent asking, enough proprietors were willing to offer free samples to satiate even two such titanic appetites as the Ord-boys'. Link was currently chewing on something rather indefinable with at least twelve tentacles that he had received from a rather beautiful Zora-woman. It was one of those things that, if you found them swimming at you in nature you would probably clear off flailing… but fried on a stick it was just as much food as the next disgusting-looking critter. Ric had, of course, already finished his and was already looking for his next prey.

They were still strolling through the aisles, there eyes darting from one wonder to the next. The whole plaza was beautiful on its own… three or four square kilometres crammed with stalls, some simple, some exuberant, encircled by Hyrule city's magnificent architecture of white stone. Two, three, four storied buildings, artfully adorned with balconies, pillars and reliefs; mansions, official buildings and temples… Link, while itching to see such houses from the inside, pitied the inhabitants… this market probably did not sleep… ever. If you lived here, the ear-shattering ruckus would be pervasive…

As they wandered criss-cross through, occasionally stopping to gawk at the acrobats or magicians that earned their keep here, he worked up the courage to do what he had primarily come here for.

Link felt strangely nervous about what he was going to ask, but decided that it would be beneficial… hopefully. "Say, Ricco… would you be willing to assist me in a… purchase?" he ventured.

The big guy, immediately smelling Link's embarrassment with his well honed nose for mischief, nodded sagely. "Of course. I've seen a stall two corners ago." he muttered, uncharacteristically silent.

Link looked at him, confused. "A stall for what?" he asked, before he could stop himself.

He got an innocently helpful look. "A stall with medicine for your ailment. An ancient Gerudo was selling it to a bunch of old men. Hey, no need to be ashamed, it can happen to the best of us! One in five, I've heard!" He blabbered, hopping out of the way in case Link felt like poking him with the skewer in his hand.

"Idiot! I can at least see mine still, you huge pile of redundant protoplasm." he shot back, both annoyed and, admittedly, amused.

"Ouch. But unfortunately, you're right. I am getting rather a bit plump. But then again, the more there is of me, the brighter the world will be!" Ric rhymed, much to his friend's dismay.

"Not if you block out the sun… listen, you weren't too far off, but I was thinking of something for a different body part…" he said, then waited if the little planetoid got the message that a bit of seriousness was called for.

"You have my undivided attention." Ricco claimed, looking pointedly at the next food store.

Link rolled his eyes. "I want to buy something for… you know… her…" By the goddess, why am I blushing?! What's the big deal? It's Ricco! I could tell him that I have to hide the evidence of a town I burned down and he would wordlessly grab a dustpan and brush and ask 'Where to?'

"Aah, the soup thickens! Well, you have certainly come to the right man!" he chuckled with a pinch of sarcasm. He would be the first to admit that his taste in… anything other than food was questionable at best.

"I am beginning to doubt that. Why have I asked you to assist me again?" Link asked the universe in general.

"Because of your unwavering faith in my superior intellect, my bottomless kindness to help my fellow cretin and my flawless decision-making power. And, naturally, my peerless humility and discretion." Ricco bellowed so loudly that the lady of the opposite stall dropped a bucket of crabs in fright.

"Oh yeah! I always forget you have all those… How come you never use any of them?" Link giggled as they ran away from the furious woman who bombarded them with the pinching critters.

When they had brought a few corners between them and the screaming lady (another few good expletives for the collection were learned), Ricco asked: "Now… any idea what a wretch like you is going to give the princess of a powerful country?"

Link stopped in his motions… when he put it like that… it did seem rather silly, didn't it? What could he possibly buy her that would have any significance? Was the whole idea a bit… vacuous?

Then again… her reaction at realizing that he had treated her to dinner… not only had it been hilariously cute, but also rather telling.

Ricco seemed to think the same. "Brother, that was a joke, no need to look so startled! Ricco the wise, famous for his understanding of women, says that it depends on the person bringing the gift, not the gift itself." he lectured with what he assumed was a thoughtful expression. Looked more like constipation to Link, just like the 'wisdom' he was spouting.

"That just means that she will be doubly disappointed if she doesn't like whatever I buy for her…" he reasoned, feeling more and more frightened of his own idea.

"Nonsense! If you pack it into a corny romantic story explaining why this is a sign of eternal, cast in stone 'luuurve', you could get her a petrified turd and she would accept it! Errr. Don't do that though… That girl is probably a bit to smart for these sorts of shenaningans." Ricco mused.

"Well, at least you already have a plan for your first relationship challenge. Get Sally a piece of petrified poop and bullshit so hard that she likes it. If you manage that, I'll buy your drinks for the rest of your life!" Link chuckled, looking around in the market as they strolled along.

"Ha! I know what you're planning! But you won't get me killed that easily, boy! Though I have to admit, I would really like to see her reaction… She might actually just explode and take half the world with her, I suspect…" he mumbled, lost in thought.

"Sounds rather accurate if you ask me. Zelda would probably accept it as if it was something she always wanted, devious as she is. Then, when I least expect it, it would probably 'appear' in my food and cost me a few teeth… and then she'd kill me." Link described, looking to the right. His eyes had gotten caught at a tiny corner stall… actually, it was more just a rug with various caskets with what appeared to be jewellery strewn about and a middle aged, bored-looking Gerudo sitting in the middle.

"Ah, I see you are looking to get your flame a priceless bauble from the most trustworthy merchant around. Good idea!" Ricco mocked.

Link shrugged. "Well, unless you have tirelessly sold your body for money the last few days, for the combined profit of almost two rupies I'd imagine, I don't see how I could afford the more expensive yet questionably more reliable jewellers in town." he snarled, trying to see what the Gerudo had to offer from afar.

"Hey! I'll have you know that this wonder of a body is highly sought after… by butchers in the whole country." Ric laughed, sticking out his belly and patting it lovingly. "Still, I guess it's as good a place as any to start looking."

He approached the "stall" before he could be held back and, as usual, was his irredeemable self. "Sav'aaq, good lady! My girlfriend here would like to peruse, but she's shy…" he purred, pointing at Link.

The 'girlfriend' rolled his eyes and stepped closer too. "I'd _pay_ for a butcher to take you, insufferable coprolite!" he hissed to him. To the proprietor, who had a rather bemused face on right now, he said. "Greetings. Even though my… vriend here has the brain of a Keese, he is right. I would like to peruse." And he treated her to a winning smile.

She gave him a very learned smile back. "Grreetings, young voe!" She had the sharply rolled Rs and accent of someone who learned Hylian only later in life. "How may I be of serrvice? Ah, no no, let me! Yes, yes yes, nonono… not that! Maybe this?" her hands darted from box to box, snatching up different gems, rings, bracelets and throwing them back again. It happened so fast that Link was just staring in fascination. "Ah, here maybe! You have… verry vai face… beautiful… this here fits vell!" And she produced two blue earrings and held them towards his ears. He just stared, now in confusion and growing indignation, while he could hear his dear friend Ricco die of laughter behind him. "Err, listen, I…"

"Ah, yes, good! Good colour with eyes! Or here!" she grabbed a bracelet, snatched Link's arm with lightning speed and stuck it through. "Nonono… not good." she huffed as she pulled it away again.

"Listen, please, I'm not…"

"Here, much betterr!" and she rammed a thick, silvery thing around his arm, chafing his skin quite a bit. But, again, she seemed unhappy with what she had wrought. So was Link, but that didn't seem to bother her much. "Will you please…!"

"Nono, too much voe. You need more prretty, yes?"

Behind him, Ric was having a fit. Link felt the colour rise on his cheeks. "Would you PLEASE LISTEN TO ME?! Din's fire, if you stopped talking for a second, you might actually learn what I want! Is this an adequate business strategy for you?!" He spluttered, raising his hands to the sky in exasperation.

The middle-aged woman was surprised only for a second, then a more genuine smile graced her lips. "Ah, young voe knows what he wants! Good. Khatifa listens."

He took a deep breath. Okay. New start. "I am looking for something for my girlfriend." he said, his mouth forming an involuntary smile at the last word. A warm tingle spread on his back and made him blush… it already felt delightfully natural to call Zelda his girlfriend. What a wonderful sensation…

The perceptive Gerudo seemed to catch on frightfully quickly and showed a smug grin. "Ah, firrst love! Flame of young always brrightest! Remember looong nights with my voe… more stamina, years ago… Now! Firrst present? You have come to right place! Good Khatifa show you and tomorrow, when young vai loves prresent, she will be in your prayers. Now descrribe young vai!" she ordered, poised to rummage through her seemingly chaotic caskets again.

"Right… err…" Link stammered, his blush only getting worse at the Gerudo's remark. There would be many nights while they were underway… would they, too… require stamina?

"Err… fair skin, golden blonde hair, sky-blue eyes…" he stopped, feeling almost dirty. How in the hell could you describe something so incredibly perfect as Zelda's beauty? Every word, no matter how lyrical, felt incomplete, pale, anaemic in comparison. He saw her before his eyes with that mind-blowing smile of hers… and in all his vocabulary he couldn't find anything that would do her justice.

His hesitation didn't stop the pushy vendor, however. "Ah, I see. Hylian vai, pale as the sands at Selima oasis. Khatifa underrstands! You want… necklace? Bracelet? Earrings?"

Good question… He had spotted that her earlobes had holes, but when she was with him she had never worn any jewellery. It's not like she needed any… but still… the thought that she might wear something that he had given her… it gave him another pleasant shiver.

"Earrings, I think. Something… understated… subtle, if you know what I mean." By Nayru, he hoped that she did, or this could take till tomorrow!

"Oh, I see! Something… for you two… not for world to see, but you to know, yes?" she whispered conspiratorially and winked. She had hit the mark perfectly, Link thought, relieved. But… there was still one thing… and it was unpleasant.

"Say… how much… I mean… I don't have all that much, you see…" He admitted, feeling a bit embarrassed. He had never really wanted anything that could be called a luxury. He had never begged his parents for anything that cost money, he had never really used his own money for anything other than food and drink with his friends… he'd never had any interest in anything that didn't have a use. Now, for the first time he wanted to buy something pretty… for the girl he adored… and he became painfully aware of the inadequacy of his means. It was a deeply frustrating experience... and humiliating…

But then again… any noble brat with more money than sense could probably buy Khatifa's whole store without even putting their purse under stress. But what would it mean? It would be as if he picked up a piece of gravel and gave it away… it has no meaning! Link, however, spending what he could afford on even a simple little trinket in order to (hopefully) make her day, that had meaning! And he was certain that she, of all people, would see that.

The Gerudo, maybe pretending that she hadn't heard him, continued to swiftly lay out a few plain pieces in front of him. They ranged from barely passable to downright tasteless. He watched her hands as she worked, rummaging, sorting, and suddenly had a glimpse of something that looked interesting. Quick as a viper he snatched the eye-catching sparkle from one of her boxes before it could be buried again. The vendor gave him a slightly miffed look for invading her stuff without asking, but he was too busy to examine the item he held to care. It was one small earring, white silver, formed like a flower. The inner part of the five-petalled blossom was some light blue stone… an aquamarine, maybe? It reminded him very much of the beautiful, elegant flower that Zelda had received as a gift a few days ago… He remembered that she had loved the thing…

"This one… how much is it?" he asked, not taking his eyes of the tiny bauble, only about a centimetre in diameter.

"Ah… not bad choice, yes… you have good eyes, young voe! Unfortunately, only this one left. Otherr one stolen… or lost. Don't know. Yes… pretty, no?" she prompted. Link knew where this was going… the more he admitted that he liked it, the higher the prize would magically become… The problem was… this was the one! This was the one he was going to buy. It was just too perfect. It would look excellent on her! The stone matched her eyes, the white silver would compliment her skin tone… and it was unostentatious, something that, he had quickly learned, was important to her. Nothing she ever wore was obtrusive or gaudy, which he deeply approved of in someone of her standing, who could wear all the gold and glitter she wanted. Additionally, he rather liked the idea of her only wearing one… it might augment her cheeky side, which he idolised.

"It would fit her well." he said cautiously.

"Yes… silver setting and tiny blue semiprecious stone. Crraftsmanship verry good. Verry good! Reduced prize because only one. Fifty rupies."

Link felt his innards turn heavy. He swallowed. That was more than he had… a good bit more…

Thankfully, Ricco knelt down beside him. "Ah, I think this is the time when I come into play. Scoot over, you. Now, my good woman, I am sure I have misheard. Fifty rupies for the earring and how many other pieces? Surely at least five…" he rumbled.

The Gerudo snatched the earring from Link's fingers and looked sinisterly at the big lad. "Fifty for earring. Take, or leave." she simply said.

"This single earring wouldn't be worth fifty if it came with a box of pure gold. 15 rupies." Ric said disdainfully.

The woman looked at him as if he had lost his mind. She lifted her arms dramatically. "Rrobberrs! Thieves! 15?! And I heard Hylians were a kind people! 45!" she exclaimed loudly. Link ducked his head slightly, hoping no-one would take the outburst literally.

"We are a people of standards and reason, flower of the desert." he said flatteringly. "And we will not be goaded by prizes like this, I can assure you. 20. And this is our final offer." he stated firmly.

"I cannot accept! You might as well burry me in the sands already!" Link noticed that all of a sudden her Hylian had improved quite a bit. "39! I shall not go lower, voe!" she promised.

Ricco seemed to study the piece, rubbing his chin. "You know, I swear my uncle Bollok can just make something like that…" he mumbled in Link's direction, careful to be just loud enough that the Gerudo could hear perfectly. "We can buy a stone like this for ten rupies, the silver for three and he'll just fabricate it himself. We should ask him first, before we do anything rash."

Link nodded, following Ric's lead. He was clearly a master at this, having basically grown up haggling for ingredients with grumpy, weathered merchants. They stood up and left with a brief 'thank you'. After a few steps Link feared that they had misjudged her and that he had lost his opportunity…

"Wait, you sons of Molduga, wait!" she shouted after them.

Oh thank Nayru's love… She had run after them, the trinket in her hand. Now Link saw how tall she really was… almost a head taller than him!

Ricco looked at her sternly. "25…" he said without ceremony.

"Impossible! My daughter is with child! What grandmother would I be if I didn't present her with a gift once I return? 34!" she wailed, looking as if she was about ready to claw his eyes out.

"28… and probably made a ludicrous profit with that." he accused, folding his arms.

"May the sands swallow you and spit you out in hell! 30! And by my life, I will not offer any more charity!"

"Agreed! I knew you would see sense, my good lady!" Ricco exulted, now sporting a wide grin.

She too smiled immediately, and heartily. "Not bad! I must remember that voe in this country are just as dangerous as vai sometimes. Here. For your lucky girl!" she chuckled and handed the bauble to Link.

Relieved that this was over, he fished out a red and two blue rupies from his pocket. His finances had just received a savage blow, but it was worth it. The more he looked at the earring, the more he wanted it to be graced by Zelda wearing it. It really would look great on her… he hoped…

"Pleasure doing business with you two!" she announced while swiping the money from his fingers. She grinned motherly at him and ruffled his hair. "Good luck, young voe… It'll be fine, you'll see!" she cooed, turned around and left.

He exhaled the breath he felt he had been holding the entire time. "Ric, goddesses help me, you are my saviour! Remind me to pay you back for this… somehow…" he said, still feeling a bit stunned.

The big lad laughed deeply. "Forget it! Even though you owe all your success with women to my tutelage, it was you who brought me together with Saria. You owe me nothing, brother." he pronounced generously.

Link didn't know what to say… so he said nothing and just nodded his thanks.

Ricco shifted a little uncomfortably. "You know that… err, Zelda won't be able to wear it, right? At least during the day?" he whispered, seeming a little concerned.

Link smiled softly. "I know. It doesn't matter. If she takes even a little pleasure in it, it was worth it to me." he mumbled, feeling a little sad. She would probably need every speck of joy she could get… they both would.

Inadvertently, the thoughts about their terrifying mission, the thoughts he had hoped would spare him for just a few hours, forced themselves back into his mind. It was frustrating… everything, from the sun in the sky to the laughing of a crowd of children around an entertainer, everything seemed darker with this sword of Damocles hanging over their future. Hundreds of kilometres to traverse to search for a place they didn't know what to do with, hoping that their purpose there would reveal itself. And then they probably had to repeat that twice over! And then? If he had the sword in his hand… what was he to do? Its presence alone would hardly be enough to ward off the Threat, would it? Would they need to go on yet another quest to prevent it from emerging onto the land once more? Or is it free already and he would have to seek battle with it?

Fear of the unknown is so much worse than fearing what is clear in front…

How could you prepare for such a nameless, faceless evil whose greatest weapon is its obscurity? Were they forever reduced to simply reacting to its plans, always on the retreat, like trying to desperately patch up a crumbling dam? Preparing against something as alien and sinister as this would be like fashioning a steel box you lock yourself in to keep you safe from all sides… and just when you think that nothing can get inside to harm you, you realize that the enemy's plan was for you to suffocate because you forgot airholes!

Frustration…

"Hey! Brother? Would you mind giving me any reaction at all, so I can be sure that you're still alive?" he heard Ricco's call, but as if he was really far away.

Arduously, Link fought himself back to reality. "Ric… you leave the day after tomorrow, right?" he asked, his expression deadpan.

"That is the plan, yes…" the big guy answered, immediately grasping that this situation called for sincerity.

"Do you and Sir Russel already have your provisions ready?" He asked, still staring off into nothing.

"I do and I'd bet my right arm that he's had them ready since before we left Ord…" Ricco said, getting a bit worried by his friend's behaviour.

"I have a bad feeling… It could be that I suddenly need to leave the city, very suddenly… with Zelda. I apologize, but I can't explain the circumstances… Would you buy another four days worth of provisions for two? And if you leave before anything happens, could you stash them somewhere where I'll find them? If it comes down to the worst, every second might count…" Link requested, having an ominous feeling.

"Brother, you're kind of scaring me… I'll do it right away, if you're sure… but why? Is there danger?" Ric asked, wide eyed.

"Not to you… I hope. But to her… terribly so, I fear." he muttered, deeply regretting that he had to asked his friend for a favour without offering any explanation… But in this case, knowledge could be dangerous…

"Alright… but, you know, brother, if I can help you any other way…" Ricco offered, obviously very worried now.

Link shook his head. "Not right now. But… err… it might be a good idea to refresh your skills with the sword… just in case. And take care of Ord while I'm gone…" he asked of him.

"How long will you be gone?" the big lad wanted to know with a sigh.

"If only I knew…" he mumbled, forlorn.

-spacer-

"Getting less and less dead by the day, lad!" Sir Alistair wheezed with just a glimmer of pride perceptible. Link, too, was proud of himself. As he had now been introduced to a large variety of weapons and had learned to use them without outright killing himself and anyone unplanned, they had returned to his preferred armament: sword and shield. The blademaster had them both in padded leather armour, mostly for the added weight, and so they could actually hit with force. Link's initial inhibition was overcome; if he saw an opening in his teacher's defence, he struck to end the fight. Happened rarely enough, still… He wasn't completely helpless against the knight, he could hold his own pretty well by now… far, _far_ better than when they had begun training. But the old bastard seemed to have a never ending supply of dirty tricks, which he used with malicious glee. However, Sir Alistair had grudgingly conceded, the same trick very rarely worked twice on him.

As usual at the end of their session Link was drenched from head to toe. He had held his sword for nearly three hours without pause and his fingers seemed extremely unwilling to let go now… he nearly had to peel them off with his other hand.

"How are you holding up, Link?" the blademaster suddenly asked.

He stopped in his tracks. A question like this… from this rugged old warhorse?

"And, far more importantly, how is the princess?" he continued.

Link looked at him, his surprise probably clearly visible. If anyone on this world was unlikely to waste his time with brainless small talk, it would be this man. He knew something…

"I believe she is fine. She has overcome her shock from the arena, if I am any judge…" he said carefully, not wanting to give too much away.

He got an impatient look. "Cut the crap, lad. I've known the princess since her birth, I've seen her grow up since she was a toddler, and I have trained her in the way of the sword. And if you are to take charge of her protection, I want to know that you know what you're doing." he rasped. He didn't speak accusation or mistrust in his voice… just worry.

Link took a moment, evaluating his options. "What do you know, sir?"

"More than most, but not as much as you. Some ominous threat to the country. I'd normally not even listen to such nonsense. But neither the king, nor his daughter, are quick to fret, so despite common sense, I find myself believing them. What that means to me primarily, is that an attack like the one a week ago might not be a singular event. Now, if I was king, I would not trust the safety of my daughter, the apparent target of the enemy's attacks, to an inexperienced aspirant like you…"

That stung… mostly because it was true. Link couldn't even argue with that… neither would he, probably.

"…except for one reason: Your performance during the attack at the arena. What I've seen that day was impossible. Not even a Rito with a bolt of lightning up his arse could move as fast as you. You are an important part in all of this… though I've no damn clue what that is…" he left the implied question unspoken.

'Well, he knows about as much as me, then…' Link thought dryly. "Sir Alistair, I can not tell you all you want to know. Please believe when I tell you that I regret that. But I can confirm that I have a part to play… and that princess Zelda's safety is my prime concern." he said, hoping that his voice carried as much sincerity as he felt in his heart.

The blademaster didn't look all too happy. "I don't doubt that, lad. Few, let me tell you, would have dived head first after attackers that managed to kill royal guards like _this,_ alone." he rasped and snapped his finger. "I would be a fool to doubt your will. I do however worry about what you plan…"

Link couldn't quite suppress a tiny grin. "Would you be surprised, Sir Alistair, if I tell you that Zelda already has planning firmly in her hand?" he asked, hoping to Nayru that his opposite would not misunderstand this for naïve levity.

A miniscule curl of the knight's lips brought relief. "Not in the slightest… but she, in the end, is just as much of a child as you, and I don't mean that derisively. The sad thing is, I have to trust you two babes that you know what you're doing. I can't have my eyes on the princess constantly with the preparations for war underway. But I want you to know: Zelda's safety means more to me than you might think… and I want you to seek my help if you need it. Agreed?" the old knight wheezed, looking dead serious.

Link understood… also what he didn't say.

He didn't say "Even if it means endangering me."

He didn't say "Even if it means that I would have to disregard my orders as knight of Hyrule in order to aid you."

He especially didn't say "Even if it means going against Zelda's wish to be alone in whatever they planned."

He nodded gravely. "Agreed, master."

"Then off with you! The king has requested your presence as soon as we're done, which is now. Wash and go to the map-room. It's the place where old men decide the fate of young men. You can't miss it if you can smell zealotry." the blademaster cackled, as if he knew what a bombshell he had just dropped on his student.

Meet the king, alone? What on earth for?! Hopefully not their… activities? Right?!

If yes, he at least wouldn't have to worry about any dangerous trip cross-country any more… in fact, he wouldn't have to make any trip longer than from one end of a cell to the other for the rest of his life…

-spacer-

Link waited in front of the map room. The guards had dryly informed him that he was to remain until the meeting inside was over.

Had he known that, he wouldn't have fretted like a ferret on fire with washing and redressing. He had nearly panicked about whether he should wear his finest tunic like the last time he had met the king, or another one so it wouldn't seem like he only had one single shirt to his name… In the end he had decided on the one thing he knew for certain: that he was a bloody idiot and should just bloody calm down. If the king wanted to incarcerate him, he wouldn't invite him for a quiet afternoon chat… unless that invitation included hot pokers and thumbscrews.

When the battalion of old generals finally filed out, he was relieved to finally get this over with.

Inside, the king was sitting straight on his chair in front of the map-table and fixated him with his pale eyes. Link stepped to the middle of the room and bowed deeply.

"At ease." the nearly emotionless voice of his liege resounded. "Do you know why I sent for you?"

Oh my goddess, I have an inkling but I hope I'm wrong! Please let me be wrong! "I can not be sure, your majesty." Link spoke, trying his utmost to remain calm.

"I wish to discuss something with you, Link Andrésson. First, how are you progressing with your research?"

It was incredibly hard to read this man. It was equally possible that he was being fatherly and just about to jump at his throat. "Very well, your highness. We are certain we have discovered the first location." he told him, cautious about what to disclose. The tension between Zelda and her father had not gone unnoticed and he was hesitant to disclose anything specific. But he also didn't want to lie…

The king showed a careful measure of surprise. "Have you? Even more pressing, then, that you and I talk." He let that hang for a few seconds.

What on earth could he want to talk about? "I wish to ask you whether you believe yourself capable of protecting my daughter." the king asked, both his expression and voice devoid of emotion.

Link was thoroughly caught off guard, both by his question and his odd demeanour. What father asks something of such importance with a face as blank as a slate? He thought about it for a long time. He almost feared, the monarch might angrily repeat his question at any second… but he just stared and waited…

What could he say? No? It would cost him all the king's confidence, it would mean that doing what needed to be done, together, would become much harder… and he also didn't feel it to be true… Yes, then? Equally stupid. It would sound short-sighted, vapid even… Finally, he said: "My liege, I can not possibly claim that I am, given how little we know of this danger. But I will say that I believe myself willing to do everything in my power to ensure her safety." It was as close to the truth as he could formulate.

The king nodded, seemingly satisfied with his answer. "Then I am sure you have considered the advantages and disadvantages of forcing her to take such a long trip."

Forcing her? What?

"I am equally certain that you are aware that protection against assassins is not the same as protection against heat, cold, hunger, sickness… all the dangers of nature. Do you trust yourself to be her shield against those for weeks as well?"

Link did. But the king obviously didn't, or he would not ask… but more and more he got the feeling that there was some agenda behind all this. "I do, sire." he simply answered, wanting to draw out more information out of this interrogation.

"You are prepared to bear all the responsibility then? And all the consequences? The safety of an unskilled child, untrained in anything that would aid survival out in the wild would rest on your shoulders alone. How would you respond to the very real, very plausible possibility that she gets feverish when you are five days travel away from civilisation? Could you forgive yourself if she comes to harm under your guardianship? Would you be able to forgive yourself, if you were a father and you sent your daughter away into the unknown?" the royal spoke coldly.

Link suddenly understood what this was about with icy realization. The king wanted to persuade him to leave Zelda in his care by sowing doubt in himself! Get him to leave her behind in the "safety" of his castle! He felt anger rise up to his chest. Besides Zelda herself he was the only person who had proven to be able to protect her… And despite that, the truth was that he was given no trust at all! This rattled his confidence more than he wanted to admit… But the way this guy did it… to try to dissuade him from bringing her, to leave her alone and unshielded back here while he went questing with such a perfidious, underhanded method… Link wanted to slap sense into him!

Dear goddess, he had to be careful though… painfully careful. He did not know this man. He did not know what he might do, how bent he was on keeping his daughter here. This required a good bit of guile… "I believe I understand what you wish to impart, my king. I will, naturally, think of all options on how to proceed." he said, being deliberately cryptic but also showing stoicism. He wanted this meddlesome monarch to know that this sort of manipulation would not work on him.

The king's expression was, as ever, nearly unreadable. "Good. I expect nothing less from you. I also expect that you choose guaranteed safety over relative protection. Thirdly, I expect that you realize that you and her alone in the wilderness, unsupervised, might kindle untoward temptation… and certainly talk that would harm my daughter's reputation. Think carefully on this! Dismissed."

Well, that had been more direct! Link bowed and left. Outside he took a deep breath, trying to calm the fire in his guts. He had to stop himself from stomping through the corridors as he walked towards the library.

How dare he? He couldn't have been more offended if the king had outright told him that he didn't trust him with Zelda's wellbeing. He was furious that the king apparently thought he could even think of… ravishing her. He was furious that the king would insinuate that he couldn't take proper care of her. But mostly he was furious because the king had a good bloody point, goddess damn it!

Not about the ravishing… as such… but his capability as a protector. What would he do if either of them got sick? What would he do in an unfamiliar region if they ran out of food? Or water? What if he got hurt and could no longer hunt? If they were hundreds of kilometres into difficult terrain, anything, even the slightest mishap could spell their doom.

Goddess curse it all, the king had hit a nerve… what should he do?

Link reached the library, knowing that Zelda would be inside. He didn't want to discuss this yet, he was still too outraged. He needed more time to think everything through…

She was, of course, poring over books. Once again in one of her simple, white dresses, her cute figure hunched over the table, her beautiful face in a concentrated frown, her intelligent eyes darting over the pages. The sunlight from the window made her hair shine like liquid gold as it flowed to the left side of her head, loosely bound so it wouldn't get in her way.

As if for the first time, he saw how utterly breathtaking she was… what if he lost her?

What if _he_ lost her?!

She noticed him after a couple of seconds of just standing there, pondering. "Ah, there you are! I was beginning to worry that Sir Alistair might have put it in his head to surprise you with a double session, as he did once with me…" she shot him one of her radiating smiles… today it only tightened the knot in his entrails, though.

"I need you to help me decide between two routes. I'm not quite happy with either of them, but… is everything alright?" she suddenly asked, looking at him, a bit worried. Of course she had seen right through him, he shouldn't be surprised. But still, he didn't want to talk about this now, not while he was ruffled.

"Just a bit tired, Sir Alistair did put me through the wringer. Not sure how much help I will be today…" he said, putting on a wistful smile.

Unsurprisingly, she did not seem convinced. "Very well… come here then. Here are the two options…" and she proceeded to explain.

Link tried his best to listen, but his mind wandered. The longer he stared at the incredibly long way they had to travel, the more his heart sank. So, so much could happen on such a trip… so much that he was aware of, but still might be unable to prevent… and once they got there, to the tree, everything he wasn't aware of could happen! Hell, the dragon, if it existed, might even attack them! How was he to know that it was friendly? An educated guess?

He couldn't help but stare at her face… and imagine her languishing because of his failure. Hunger, cold, fever, injury… if you had nothing but wilderness around for days, even an infected scratch was a potential death threat.

"I was also thinking of buying a few Gorons, you know, as provisions? You should be able to carry them…" he heard her say.

"Hmm… wait what?" he asked, confused.

"Ah, you're back." She said, looking at him both reproachfully and amused. She sighed and, after a quick look that no-one was around, put a gentle hand on the back of his. "Look, it is obvious that something is worrying you. Don't you want to tell me? Maybe I can help?"

He didn't want to tell her… and he also did, of course. He just wanted more time to formulate an opinion. But her irresistible sweetness cracked him wide open… as usual.

He sighed. "I'm sorry. But you are right… I am distracted. Because of your father…" He could see her tense up immediately and her face went from gentle to apprehensive. Oh dear Nayru's wisdom, how should he explain this?!

"I was summoned to the map room. I think he doesn't want you to go with me. I fear he is intent that you stay…" he worded it carefully.

He noticed that her breathing, while still calm, was deeper than usual, betraying rising ire. "What did he say?" she asked, her voice low.

"He attempted to fill me with doubts… make me worry that you would not be safe in order to dissuade me from taking you with me…" he could almost feel her anger radiating from her. She took one deep breath. "And what did you say?"

"That I would think on it…"

Link stopped dead. He immediately realized that he had said something catastrophically wrong.

" _What?!_ " Zelda hissed, her eyes sparkling dangerously. "You actually consider to… leave me here?! How dare you?!" she exploded, yelling through the library, caring no longer.

He immediately raised his palms placatingly, but he might as well have tried to put out a forest fire with his bare hands. "Wait, I misspoke. I did not mean…"

" _What_ did you not mean?! This man, this… warden who has imprisoned me in ignorance and false security openly tells you that he wants to keep me here, locked up, and you even think about letting him?!" she screamed, standing up and taking a step away from him.

He stood up too, now feeling his anger rise at these accusations that, unfortunately, were too close to the truth… "I never thought about leaving you!" he said truthfully, trying his hardest to keep his voice calm. "Not for an instant. What I meant to say, is that, in all his insultingly doubtful coercion, the king had one point. Just the two of us travelling such a distance is extremely risky."

He stopped to await her reaction. She seemed to cool down just a tiny bit… she folded her arms in front of her and set her jaw. "Explain!" she commanded coldly. What had he done to deserve such a treatment? He was just worried about her, couldn't she bloody see that? He had basically lied to his liege lord so that they could plan their next step! "We are travelling over almost uncharted terrain for days, maybe weeks on end. Weather, hunger, thirst, illness, injury… Anything could potentially spell disaster without even factoring in monsters or, even worse, shady attackers sent by the enemy. I hate to admit it, but I am unsure about whether I can sufficiently protect you from…"

"I am not some wilting flower that dies if it isn't watered regularly!" she hissed at him angrily. "I am capable of carrying my own weight and I can learn if there were _someone_ who was willing to teach!"

The 'someone' stung… Link had to remind himself not to take any of this personal. Hadn't he too been extremely unfair in his anger, back in Ord? She hadn't held it against him… so he was determined not to feel insulted.

He was, however, getting quite indignant, something he sure as hell didn't want to be with her, but he couldn't help it. "Listen. We can not just go out into the world, hoping that it would turn out alright. We have to consider options. And no! I do not consider leaving you here an option… but what about an escort? True, we will be much more conspicuous, but we can transport food, tents, medicine, tools… I don't claim to have the answer, but you must allow me to think these things through!" he shot at her, dangerously close to losing his calm.

"It would merely be an extension of my father's arm, yet another cage that would offer no protection! The "safety" he provides is illusory! It might calm him, knowing that he has done something, but it is ultimately counter-productive. How do you not see this?" she asked, her voice once again getting louder.

He raised his arms in exasperation. "I do see it! Apparently you really do think me an idiot! But sometimes, admittedly rarely, this idiot might have a point. Is this so hard to fathom? You are so bent on getting out of here that you refuse to accept any other possibility, it seems! Why do you think I wanted to talk it over with you?" he asked, involuntarily gritting his teeth.

"You didn't!" she snapped, whacking the table with her hand. "I had to pry it out from you! What had you done if I hadn't? Quietly acquiesce to my father's wishes? Don't ever be like him, I warn you." Her voice turned silent and icy. Her finger pointed threateningly at his face. "Do not _ever_ presume to know what is best for me like he does. Do NOT do that!" the last words were quivering, though he could not tell whether from shaking anger or near crying.

Link had had enough. She was just being unfair now and he would not play target for her to throw her fury at. He took a few breaths before talking calmly again, but with a certain edge to it. "Now listen closely, Zelda. Nothing, ever, will persuade me to abandon you… not even if you hurl an endless barrage of misguided insults at me. Secondly, I am not like the king and I don't aim to be. I believe I have seen a glimpse of his true self today and it is not one I wish to be associated with. Thirdly, I will insist on continuing this discussion once both of us have calmed down, for I believe it to be important. I hope you can accept this. If you can't, frankly, I don't know what to say… Now if you will excuse me. It seems I have one long night ahead of me. Good evening." She remained silent, although he could see her jaw muscles working. He knew he could have been far more elegant, but right now he couldn't muster the nerve for it. It was obvious she wasn't truly angry at him, but he did not want to accept the role of 'punching-bag'.

He randomly grabbed a book from the table, mostly to signal that he too would continue planning, and quietly left.

His feet automatically transported him to his new chamber within the stronghold while his brain bombarded him with self criticism. What could he have said differently, what could he have formulated better so she wouldn't get so riled up… should he have tried to be more understanding? Or more firm? Had he done anything right, goddess damn it?!

Link entered his room and let himself fall onto his bed. He knew that sleep was totally out of the question right now, but it felt good to lie down and at least try to relax to sort his thoughts…

He still wasn't insulted... that would just be childish. But apparently he had inadvertently stepped into a hornet's nest of emotion. Had he been right in walking out of their quarrel? He had said that he wouldn't abandon her… hadn't he just done that, kind of?

Din's hellfire, it really had been the worst timing! He had been so completely flustered after the meeting with the king… he had lacked his normal eloquence and had broached this delicate subject with the subtlety of a Goron mining-hammer.

… should he just have trusted their plan completely? Should he have trusted himself and, most importantly, her to overcome any obstacle that might stand in their way?

He hoped to the Three that he himself hadn't been unfair at any point. He should have been the one to calm her down… yeah that had failed spectacularly… but hopefully he hadn't said anything to really deserve her ire…

Link sighed heavily and turned on his side. Something stung in his pocket. He fished out the delicate, silver earring he had bought today, wanting to give it to her today…

He turned on his stomach so his face was buried in his pillow and slowly hammered his fist against the back of his head.

"Goddess. Fucking. Damn it…"

-spacer-

One o'clock, probably… by now he had gotten a feel for the time during these long nights. Only today time seemed to have slowed to a crawl in order to give him more time to rethink… everything. You don't want to be alone with your thoughts for hours on end when your mind decided to re-evaluate every single word you had said today over and over again… you especially didn't want that when you gradually felt more guilty. His logic told him that he hadn't done anything really wrong… but he also felt that he should have prevented the situation from escalating like that… somehow…

He had, of course, taken his post as usual. More than a little quarrel needed to happen for him to forget his duty to her. But tonight wasn't easy. Five more hours…

At least he now had the time to think a few things through… the conclusion that the two of them travelling alone was the only viable option got ever firmer, the longer he pondered it. True, a retinue would net them a sort of safety, but it was a hollow one. When your enemy's primary weapon was stealth, travelling with a royal procession, advertising your position at any time, was foolhardy. They might as well paint a target on Zelda's back, if they went with that option. They would know only two conditions: under attack, and between attacks. No… the retinue would bring with it comfort, but little else. And neither of them could afford comfort in any case… not with that terrifying fate hanging over their heads.

Alone, then. Only him and her. Link had never really doubted that this was the correct decision. It… felt right. While that was a flimsy rationalization at best, it was still worth remembering that his feeling might have more weight than that of others. He, or someone like him, had done all this before! Somewhere in the past a different hero had faced the same trials and had succeeded! Perhaps his inner voice was, at least in part, an echo of a past life, offering a hint of guidance?

Anyway, the simple fact remained that if Zelda and he were unable to endure rain, terrain and other problems of the road, it was highly doubtful that they had any chance whatsoever against something as truly malicious as the Threat and its agents. Link didn't like this way of thinking, but it was true nevertheless. Whatever difficulties they might encounter while hiking over the land it would certainly be a walk in the park compared to what fate had in store for them later on. He probably had projected his fear of this unknown peril that loomed on the horizon onto the tangible hazards that he could fathom...

Well, he would stop doing that! He would make sure they reached the three dragons, he would make sure that they would be safe and he would make sure that they fulfilled their mission! End of discussion! Besides… if they truly existed, the goddesses would want them to succeed, wouldn't they? A little divine supervision couldn't be totally amiss, right?

He heard a loud click behind him; he had been so lost in thought that he jumped quite a bit. Zelda stood in the half opened door, just in her nighty, her hair rumpled as if she had been twisting and turning in bed, unable to find rest. She looked at him, still half behind the door, as if she was playing at hiding from him. There was just the tiniest suggestion of guilt in the way her big, beautiful eyes shone with sadness, probably only noticeable to him and no-one else. He could feel that she wanted to say something by the way her elegant jaw moved, as if the words were already in her mouth but refused to come out. The whole sight was irresistibly cute… whatever tiny speck of anger had remained until now was immediately snuffed out at the sight of her adorable discomfort.

He smiled at her warmly, now wishing nothing more than to allay her unnecessary feelings of guilt. "Can't sleep?" he asked her softly, so that the guards downstairs couldn't hear.

She nodded, not taking her entrancing gaze from him. "I don't want to go to sleep while this is between us. I don't want you to be angry with me…" she whispered, her voice quavering just the tiniest bit.

He smiled at her soothingly. "I'm not… I was, briefly… but no more. I don't want to be angry with you either."

She lowered her eyes and fiddled with her hands in front of her. "I want to apologize." she mumbled, her shame becoming nearly unbearable for him.

"You don't have to…" he offered, knowing it was a stupid thing to say, a truism…

"Yes I do, Link! I have treated you terribly today!" the words now bubbled forth in a trembling voice. He could see tears form in her eyes and it nearly broke his heart. He didn't want her to feel like she needed to explain herself to him, especially if it pained her so. But he also knew that this was the way this little wound between them could heal without leaving a scar. "I… I can not give you a satisfying excuse… but I can offer an explanation at least. Would you listen to it?" she asked, setting her gaze back to his eyes.

The nearly despairing sadness in her eyes made him crack. He leaned his sword against the wall and, hoping that he did the right thing, he hugged her tightly. He felt his own eyes tear up when she gave a quiet sob in his arms and locked her arms lightly around his waist. Screw anybody who might see them; he no longer cared. She needed his help right now and no social scandal horseshit would stop him!

"Gladly, Zelda." he breathed next to her ear and rested his cheek against her temple.

She took a minute to compose herself. "My father doesn't trust either of us to succeed. Even after the attack at the arena he still didn't want to let me know the truth about what is happening around me. I doubt he even fully accepts the need to combat this evil, even now! He clings to an ideal world where none of this is happening…" Zelda mumbled against his chest. He could feel how hard it was for her to keep her emotions in check, both sorrow and wrath ravaging her mind. "He kept me in this golden cage for weeks, disallowed me from finding out more about my attackers, as if trying to keep me locked away and cut off from the world might make me forget that I am in danger. His numb inaction not only put me in further peril, it also prevented even an attempt to find a solution for precious _months_. If it weren't for Impa and now you, I would still know nothing. _Nothing_ about any of this!" she hissed, her fingers involuntarily clawing into the skin of his back. Link didn't mind, he hugged her tighter and started to rock her ever so slightly. "And now, despite his failure, despite every stone that he tried to lay in our way, we have a way forward, we have a goal, we have a plan. And this… _bastard_ tries to snatch me back from the only way to freedom I had all my life. 'Good girl, you read a few books! Now back to your room, where you belong and let everyone else decide your fate again.' Fuck him! Fuck him fuck him _fuck him_!" she screamed, her face buried in his chest so no-one could hear, while her whole body tensed until her muscles trembled from impotent rage. Her breath raced for a few moments until she calmed down sufficiently to continue. "And he does it through you. He _dares_ to use _you_ to get me to stay. Shameless! All for his personal sense of accomplishment, or security, or satisfaction, I don't fucking know! He dares to try and make you his tool for his delusional endeavours!"

Link nodded slowly, caressing her head with his cheek. The sad thing was, he had known, he had understood it. But he still let his words get under his skin. "And I played right into his hands. I even suspected it, but it still got me…" he whispered, feeling that he too should offer words of apology.

She shook her head, her forehead still resting against his chest. "He's a master politician. You have no experience in this game. I suspect his goal all along was to drive a wedge between us, hoping either you would just leave, or I would refuse to come. The thought of this dirty, underhanded machination _repulses_ me!" she hissed. Then she looked back up at his face. Her sky-blue, gorgeous eyes still full of guilt. "Do you see? I wasn't mad at you, not really! It was months of disappointment and rage and insecurity, caused by him that made me lash out. And even before that, years of feeling alone and rejected by him. And now, when I needed his support most, he withdrew completely! And now I directed my ire for him at you! I feel so… vile and loathsome that I did this to you! It was so utterly, utterly unfair!" she croaked and her face scrunched up and as she started to sob and tremble softly. He gently pressed her head back against his shoulder. "Ssshhhhhh…" he hushed her soothingly, feeling his heart crack with each of her sobbing spasms. He rocked her softly back and forth, trying to impart any possible comfort he could muster. "And then I come in and, idiot that I am, clumsily tell you that I was considering his proposal…" Link mumbled, feeling like such an arsehole. It was all so clear now, and relatable. It must have felt like one huge last straw, the ultimate rejection.

"After all this time in this walled cage, frightened of the unknown and alone, the notion that you, of all people, might leave me behind, scared me more than I can put into words…" she whispered when her crying had slightly abated. "And, of course, I severely doubt myself, that I'll be able to endure all the dangers the road has to offer. I know so little of anything… and my self-doubts made my tantrum even worse. I lashed out at you, my only help in all of this madness! Please, please forgive me…" she begged, trembling.

"All is forgiven, Zelda. It was before you even started talking… I am not without guilt in this either. I should have realized sooner, understood you better. I spoke without thinking and caused all this. And then I walked out on you, left you alone... I too must ask your forgiveness." he said softly.

She just shook her head… and then nodded. He understood without words.

They remained standing, locked in a quiet embrace, soothing, healing…

The sudden clangour of a high, piercingly loud bell made both of them jump. Link looked around, confused for a second.

"The fire bell…" Zelda whispered, fright in her eyes. He could hear the two guards downstairs talk briefly, then run to see what was going on.

Servants and maids suddenly flooded the hallway… good thing they had already split their embrace…

Zelda immediately tried to restore order, asking if anyone had seen where the fire was. A message boy sprinted up the stairs and wheezed something about a small accident at the knight's quarters… far away and with a stone wall between them. Zelda ordered most of her servants to go and offer assistance.

Link, for reasons he couldn't explain, had a bad feeling about this. A fire? In the dead of night at a place where nearly all people slept right now? The knight's barracks weren't some brothel that only now saw most of its action. What could have caused a "little accident" right now? In a stone building with hardly any adornment? He looked over the banister of the stairs… the royal guards hadn't returned. He felt an icy shiver run down his spine… nothing felt right.

He walked back and fought himself through the throng of maids that surrounded Zelda. Her gaze immediately went tense when she noticed his expression. "Go back into your chambers, shut every window, lock every door apart from this one and surround yourself with your most trusted ladies. I don't like this. Please trust me!" he spoke urgently. He didn't even have to say the last bit. Zelda looked at him for only a second, eyes wide, then nodded and gave the orders. Link planted himself in front of the door, unsheathing his sword. The corridor returned to calm… a threatening calm that seemed to hold its breath…

He looked around, tense but patient. He couldn't see or hear any movement but… he felt watched. It was a strangely familiar feeling, similar to… Impa?

 _Behind!_

He could feel the blade hissing through the air as he narrowly twisted out of the way. Link used his momentum and the attacker's momentary confusion and swung his sword violently. It bit deeply into the soft flesh of a stomach and the assailant gasped in sudden, shocked pain. Link didn't stop. He yanked his sword free, doing as much damage as he could, rammed his shoulder into the guy to knock him away and turned back towards the stairs. Whatever they had done to hide from his senses, the spell was broken. Five more attackers, all in black with a black mask in front of their faces slowly approached the double door to Zelda's chamber. The sixth that had tried to backstab him frantically tried to hold in his guts and moaned weakly… he wouldn't get back up…

Link stood in front of the five assassins, his sword extended, not wavering a millimetre. The message was clear: death awaits any who come close.

As one, the five hid their daggers in their sleeves, almost too quick to follow and drew wicked looking curved short-swords. Then they approached, slowly, carefully.

Link couldn't let them surround him! He had to attack their flank!

Quick as a hornet he darted forward and thrust his sword at the leftmost enemy. Both he and the one beside him tried to deflect, and managed just enough that his blade glanced off of his mask, disorienting him, but leaving him unhurt. He pursued, launching into a quick flurry, attacking three of them at once. He drove them back, but with their combined defence, he couldn't get through to do any damage!

He tried again, sidestepping, targeting the other flank, doing what he could to surprise them, to create an opening. He had them driven back to the stairs and, in a risky manoeuvre, he violently kicked the middle one straight in the chest, using his sword and sheath purely to block. The struck assailant flew backwards, landed heavily on the stone steps with a satisfying crash and tumbled down.

The remaining four immediately closed rank, but stepped back once again. Link's fury knew no bounds! These cowardly lowlifes! Every one of them deserved to die, simply for thinking of harming Zelda! Using his sheath to block and his sword to strike he combated all four of them, their measly attacks useless against him, ever driving them back. He could smell their fear of him, felt their rising panic at facing his battle fury! With a mighty roar he dodged to the side and used the force of his movement for a heavy cleaving attack. Three of them hopped back in time. The last one was nearly split in half by the brunt of his swing. Three.

Ever further down he drove them, only getting faster as his fiery blood rage built.

Then he heard something that turned his blood to solid ice in his veins. A silent click from above… from a door. Stupidly, he turned away from the attackers to look at Zelda's door. It was just barely ajar…

The fire to draw everyone away, and these six to draw him, while a seventh entered her chambers!

He heard a panicked shout. His heart stopped… and time froze. He could suddenly sense how three blades slowly approached his unprotected back with murderous intent… slowly as if through honey. He sensed them as if he had gained perfect vision of everything around him. He also sensed the same aura of murder from inside! And he could sense sinister glee…

The terrible fury and abject terror choked him. With a beastly scream he spun around, his sword extended, feeling a searing hot power course through his entire body and culminating in the tip of his sword. He barely even noticed the bluish, fiery glare that engulfed him, hardly heard the cries of terror and pain from the assailants. He ran, the few steps back to her door seeming as endless as a stairway to the sky. He still screamed in overpowering rage, the dreadful fear for her life, so precious to him setting his lungs on fire, and still the stairs unrolled. The way seemed endless, time diluted so every instant became eternity, his muscles burning… but hell itself buoyed him up, gave wings to his rage, lifted him up. He crashed through the door, the thick wood offering as much resistance as a sheet of paper, his haste unbroken. His profane scream, carrying with it the irrefutable promise of death echoed deafeningly through the chambers. Still flying forward, in only an infinitesimal instant, he saw the situation. Two more assassins, one wounded on the floor, one only centimetres away from Zelda who stood protectively in front of her maids, the bloodied tip of her slim rapier held high. With icy desperation Link saw that the attacker's vicious dagger was only an instant away from being plunged into her chest! He would be too late!

No.

He couldn't be.

He sensed every singular fibre of this murderer's muscles, felt how each of them tensed with the intent to kill. The dagger sped forward…

Link extended his sword, sneaking the blade between her thorax and the offending weapon. The knife scraped on his steel, just for an instant, and exploded into a million tiny shards. Link retracted his arm and, in one smooth movement filled with all his hate, he cleaved the assailant's head clean off, before he could even fathom why his attack hadn't worked. He stepped over to the last killer, kneeling, bleeding and, laughably slowly, looking at the lightning quick vengeance that had just decapitated his comrade. He didn't even attempt to defend himself, too slow was his understanding. Link plunged his sword into his heart and pulled it back out before the cut head even touched the ground.

Time resumed with one relieved intake of air. He stood in the middle of the carnage, bloody, trembling, gasping for air… His senses were still inhumanly sharp; he heard every panicky heartbeat in the room, heard how the blood in the two assassin's veins slowly stopped flowing. He heard no other attackers in this wing of the castle… quiet. He noticed a third body. A maid, young… she had tried to shield her princess and had paid the ultimate price. But it had enabled Zelda to disable one of them, which is probably why she was still alive…

He looked at her, her face a mask of horror. All emotion, fear, rage, panic, hatred, relief, bloodlust, all came crashing down on him and he didn't know what to do. Slowly her face became softer and she started breathing again. She lowered her rapier and swallowed heavily, trying to control her fright. After a second of hesitation she fell into his arms and sobbed, loud, wailing, uncontrollable. For just a brief stupid moment, he had the ridiculous fear that she would soil her clothes on his blood-splattered frame. He was still breathing heavily, his lungs burning for air. He hadn't drawn breath all the way up the stairs and now his body cashed in its cheques, sucking in air and redemption in huge, racking sobs. Tears boiled out of him, shaking him wretchedly. Feeling boundless relief that nearly made his knees buckle, he hugged her back, holding her so tightly to him as if to never let her go.


	31. Chapter 30

**Hey guys and girls! Bit of a slower chapter after the last intense one, but I hope you like it nonetheless. With Chapter 30 I'd like to thank all of you for your kind words and your support for my story. Especially Orbital and the nameless guest(s) for their wonderful reviews, as I can't thank them otherwise.**

 **Also, thank you The Rambling Writer for listening to my own ramblings and for your advice!**

Chapter 30

Link

Link was sitting in the king's quarters in front of his bathroom, where Zelda was currently washing herself. Every muscle ached as if it had been set on fire but he did not relax for even an instant. He knew that at some point his mind would force him to look back and reappraise all that had happened, re-examine all the lives he had ended, but thankfully he was both too tired and still too alert to be anywhere but the present. He could hear Zelda's quiet splashing as she cleaned herself from inside; a welcome reminder that he had succeeded in his duty once more. He, for now, had only asked for a few wet towels and another tunic to be brought, which he was currently wearing. The rest of his body was still quite a bloody mess.

A respectful distance away, most likely due to the way he must look, sat Sally, the only other person he had allowed in here. She was nervously playing with the waistband of her morning gown and seemed too flustered to speak… which in itself seemed cause for alarm. Occasionally they heard hasty footsteps or barked commands from outside… the whole castle was in uproar. The entire royal guard was combing it from top to bottom for any more intruders and for the first time in decades the outer and inner castle were completely locked down to the rest of the city. The king had arrived a few minutes after the battle had ended and had, very reasonably, relocated them to his personal quarters for Zelda to recover, as her own chambers were positively reeking with blood. After that, thankfully, he had left to coordinate the search. Right now, Link did not trust himself to remain calm and collected, should the monarch try any of his idiocy, subtle or outright.

Link rolled his shoulders, trying to get the tensed up muscles to relent. From the way Sally started, he guessed that this had been his first movement in minutes. She looked at him, wide-eyed, afraid. He tried to smile reassuringly, but suspected that whatever happened on his face was a crooked grimace at best. Still, she relaxed again and sighed. "What do I say?" she mumbled, her eyes gazing at the floor.

He frowned, bemused. "What..." he croaked. His voice was raw from the ear-piercing scream that had escaped him when he had thought that all was lost. He cleared his throat and tried again. "What do you mean?"

"What do you say to someone who has just saved a relative and dear friend? Thank you? That seems so completely useless, as if spitting into a bonfire and expecting it to be enough to douse it…" she muttered, looking at him with sad, unsure eyes.

Link smiled at her, more genuine this time, thankfully. "Thank you is more than enough. The meaningful part is said without words anyway. What you can do is help that Zelda recovers as quickly as possible." he assured her.

She snorted softly. "I suspect you might be the better candidate for that…" she scoffed with a tiny sly grin. "Why as quick as possible? Do you have something planned?"

Link nodded. "We need to leave the city. We should probably have left days ago, but we were hesitant. We no longer have that luxury. If she stays, they'll get her sooner or later. And I don't think they'd hesitate to torch the whole city to do that." he explained grimly.

Sally swallowed heavily. "And do you know where you're going?" she asked, her voice trembling slightly.

"Yes." Link simply said, his expression making it clear enough that no more information was forthcoming.

Sally nodded, understanding, but unhappy with it. "You take good care of her then, you hear? It would get dreadfully boring without someone to make fun of." she mumbled with sad humour.

Link just nodded his affirmation. Any other notion wouldn't even cross his mind.

They fell silent again, him resuming his tense vigil and Sally her nervous playing with various things in her reach. After another minute, she stood up and walked over to the bathroom door. "I can't just sit there, doing nothing, and leave her alone!" she grumbled and knocked.

"She wanted to be alone for a while…" he reminded her gently.

"And you believe her that?" she asked him with a raised eyebrow. She knocked again and called her cousin. "I'm coming in, whether you want to or not!"

The door opened, Link looked pointedly away, and it closed again. He used the time alone to draw his sword and, using one of his still damp towels, cleaned it of gore. He hadn't wanted to do that in front of Zelda's cousin, which, if he thought about it, was a bit foolish, because he probably still looked worse than the blade. When he was done, he reached over and did the same thing for her rapier. He scrutinized the weapon in the process… anything to keep his mind occupied. A beautiful weapon, fit for a princess, but certainly no mere objet d'art. Well crafted, well balanced and wicked sharp. The leather around the grip was a bit worn… not like his, naturally, but still! Quite a bit of practice had been done with this sword… and he was immensely thankful for it. Without that proficiency, he had no doubt that this attempt would have had a dramatically different outcome. Even though he could only have seen it for a split second in real-time, he remembered the scene in her sitting-room as if it was etched into his brain… Zelda standing poised and determined, ready to defend her unarmed ladies-in-waiting and holding her own despite being outnumbered, at least for a few precious seconds. That singular image filled him with endless, fiery pride in her. That, and the fact that he simply couldn't allow himself any such feelings any more, were responsible for him being free of doubt that she at least could handle any hardship on the road.

Somehow, he would have to let her know how much he admired her for her courage, without it seeming like hollow or even tasteless praise…

He looked back towards his sword, leaning beside him, then at his still tingling left palm. What in the name of all that was holy had he done? That moment when he had thought everything lost, the moment when time had seemed to stop in its tracks, he had felt such an influx of pulsating, devastating power… pure energy, invigorating, empowering… terrifying…

He remembered seeing the corpses of the three assassins that had remained when it had all started… not much had been left… he hadn't wanted to inspect them, but… how could you look away from something like that? Not only had his one, furious swing cut them in half… all three of them! ...but most of their body, especially the area around the wound, had been severely burned! And not only that! The stone wall surrounding the staircase, as well as the wooden banister to the other side had a deep gash in them… not only was it impossible to slice ten centimetres into solid rock with a blade, he wouldn't even have been able to reach it from where he had stood! The staircase was wide… if he stood in the middle and extended both of his hands, one with his sword, he still wouldn't reach either of the sides! Yet both had been cut so cleanly… Up until now, the strange time dilation had been at least somewhat explicable. People in extreme stress exhibit unbelievable strength and speed, that is nothing new. And even though his own demonstration was, admittedly, hadn't strained what was possible but outright broken it, it was still a comprehensible phenomenon.

This, for the lack of a better term, magic that he had wrought upon his enemies, was not. It was as if he had extended his blade by about a metre and, in the case of the three victims of this miracle, had made it glow with heat. He did dimly remember a sudden bluish shine coming from his sword… but by that time his vision had narrowed only on saving Zelda and not much else.

What he did remember clearly is this power that had coursed through his arm. He could still feel its remnants tingling, almost burning on his palm… and the back of his hand for some reason. He scratched at it absentmindedly. It had felt so… familiar… trusted, even… as if it had always been near, just out of sight, but its presence still subliminally noticeable.

The images of the eight cut, broken, burned bodies flashed through his mind…

No! he yelled at himself. This was not the time for this! Your duty up there is to get Zelda to safety as soon as possible! And nothing fucking else!

Thankfully the door opened behind him, giving him a lifeline to hoist himself out of this ichorous pool of dark thoughts. He stood up and turned around, hoping that Zelda was okay… as much as could be expected.

To his surprise, and relief, she already wore her almost soldierly outfit. Perfect for the road…

She looked at him, glanced up and down over his body and fixated on his probably still smeared face. "I had hoped you'd also have washed already…" she said with a slightly disappointed smile.

Link raised his eyebrow, bemused. "No… not before you and certainly not while you're in there, leaving you unprotected." he croaked, his voice raw again.

"Then, unfortunately, all I can give you right now is this…" she sighed, kissed her right index-finger and tapped him lightly on the nose. "…until then." She smiled at him… and while it, unsurprisingly, had several undertones of nervousness and sorrow, it was still genuine and warm.

Link wanted nothing more than "…until then.", but also didn't want to make her dirty again… he felt soiled enough as it was, no need to spread it to this very picture of purity… "Let me just sort myself out real quick." he mumbled and stepped around them into the king's bath.

"A rather dodgy way to put this, but alright…" Saria muttered. Both semi-grown-ups ignored her.

He did what he could, as fast as he could. He disrobed, more or less dumped a bucket of water over his head and scrubbed as if his skin had personally insulted him. The king actually had a silvered-glass mirror in here which at least gave him the relieving knowledge that no gore had gotten caught in his hair. When all the sanity in your world threatens to crumble to dust around you, it's the little things that provide comfort.

After a couple of minutes he emerged again, clothed of course, feeling immeasurably better.

"Did you leave any skin on? You are practically glowing red!" Zelda teased when she saw him. She stood on tip-toes to plant a little kiss on his cheek. He smiled at her gratefully. While it didn't dispel his tiredness, her little attentions were a tremendous boost to morale.

Her face turned earnest. "What are we doing?" she asked, grim but determined, her eyes clear and strong.

Link couldn't help but smile proudly. And here he had feared that she might be distraught, maybe even too shaken to leave right now, needing a few days in accustomed surroundings to adjust… He scolded himself for his subconscious patronising. He probably could learn a thing or twelve about determination from this girl… Sure, she was consciously being brave while inside she must be in turmoil… but that did not, by any means, diminish the fact that you needed character made of steel not to yield to despair after suffering through yet another assassination attempt in so short a time.

It was a bit foolish, but he felt pride swell in his chest that he may travel with her. But then again… he was her idiot, wasn't he?

Since she looked at him questioningly, wondering why he was just staring at her instead of answering, he yanked his thoughts back to the matter at hand.

"Judging by the way you decided to dress, I suspect you already know. We need to leave the capital. Ideally yesterday. We are fighting an uphill battle here. They know precisely where you are and neither walls nor soldiers nor any decency stop them. And since we don't have any information on them, we can never retaliate. For now, the only option to avoid further attacks is to hide you; not behind castle walls, but by going into the wild. You need to disappear." he explained.

Zelda nodded curtly, signalling that she had come to the same conclusion. "I expect my _father_ wishes to see me as soon as possible?" she asked, including a sizeable portion of resentfulness into the question.

"And me." Link nodded. "We indulge him. I know not what he has to say, whether he sees reason now or is even more obdurate and, frankly, I do not care. While we speak to him, I have a task for you, Sally." he announced, turning to the smaller girl who raised an expectant eyebrow.

"Ideally I want to leave before the sun is up. In order to do that, I need you to prepare stuff for Zelda while we see the king. In case he is obstinate, I want to be ready before he can do anything rash. I asked Ric to cover rations, but other travel baggage… spare clothing, raincoat, soap, a blanket… if you could get a hold of a few medical supplies it would be great…" he said, hoping she would get the picture. Thankfully, Saria was a smart colluder. She showed a crooked grin. "So essentially, you go have a nice quiet chit-chat with uncle while I do all the work for you to elope behind his back? Count me in!" she cooed, only her nod displaying that she understood the seriousness of the situation. Wouldn't be Sally without a sarcastic remark…

Zelda pulled her cousin close and gave her a peck on the temple. "Thank you…" she whispered, dangerously close to tears.

"'s alright… I was sick of you anyway… always stealing the good men away and leaving nothing for me…" Saria mumbled, apparently finding the floor of particular interest all of a sudden.

Link hated to interrupt this, but he had to. "Whatever happens, we will meet you in the dark nook between the stables and the stablemaster's quarters between the third and fourth bell of morning." he instructed.

"Wonderful. And don't feel like you need to rush. The smell will surely keep me company." she grumbled.

He gave her a tiny, amused smile, which she received with a slight reddening of her ears.

"Are we going to take horses?" Zelda asked.

Link rubbed his tired eyes, thinking it through yet another time before answering. "No. My experience with riding is very limited… the only horse worth anything in Ord was Sir Russel's old mare, and apart from sitting on her a couple of times when I was younger, I am completely green. Besides, getting two horses saddled in the dead of night would attract attention and it's in our best interest to avoid that." he concluded. He'd certainly like to take a couple of the fascinating and ridiculously useful beasts, in large part because he had always wanted to learn to ride properly, but in their current situation it was just too conspicuous. "Well, no point in waiting…" he spoke carefully, looking at Zelda expectantly. She took a deep breath, then nodded. "Right. Let us get this over with."

-spacer-

King Tiberian of Hyrule

"What in Din's blazing hellfire do you mean by 'We have to let them go?'" Alistair asked him, rasping loudly. Few people would have dared raising their voice at him, but the blademaster had never much cared about court etiquette. Yet another reason why he valued his council…

"I mean that as I said it, old friend. Both of them have a destiny to fulfil, it seems… and, to my shame, we have proven to be unable to protect my daughter."

The blademaster's jaw tensed and his look became dark. "I take full responsibility for these failings, sire. Demote me to her personal guard, if you will, but I _will_ ensure her safety."

It was obvious that the man was extremely angry with himself. He had trained the royal guard, he had devised the guard detail and he had lost another four of his men where the assassins had gained entry to the castle. Indeed it was his responsibility… but the king suspected that regular methods had lost their efficacy against this foe long ago.

"I know how you feel… do you think I like the notion of my daughter setting out into the wilderness because I am incapable of providing safety?" he asked calmly.

"Of course not, damn it! But how…"

"It needs to be done. I'm ashamed that it required two extremely close calls to finally open my eyes to this… Twice this boy has saved her against impossible odds…" he trailed off, thinking about how ludicrous it all was.

Alistair stepped to the king's desk and planted his hands firmly on it so he could lean close and glare angrily. "If you knew what needed to be done, why didn't you?" he grated.

"Because I didn't want to admit that with all my power, I am unable to save my little girl…" the king said sadly.

"Then you fool are just as responsible as I am." the knight affirmed with a disgusted look.

The monarch shook his head softly. "No, my friend… infinitely more so…"

The blademaster gazed at him as if he wanted to throw a punch. He knew that he had fatherly feelings for Zelda, as he had spent a lot of time with her over the years, especially after her mother died. He remembered how this grizzled warrior had carried her as a three year old on his shoulders for an entire inspection of the guard. She had been delighted and had always saluted in perfect synch with her 'pony'. The other soldiers had had their mettle tested that day, forbidden from laughing…

In the end he sighed heavily and seemed to slump. "I agree that she can not stay here, with a heavy heart. But sending her with the boy, alone…"

The king frowned earnestly. "You believe he will not be sufficient? Or do you think he will do something untoward?" he asked, his voice tense.

Alistair looked back up and glared rebukingly. "Neither! I think I've got to know the lad and he's about as straight as they come. Honest and diligent. And I believe we are beyond doubting his abilities, as mysterious as they might be… But for fuck's sake, Tiberian! He is a boy! He is fifteen! Younger than my son! The only blade most of the lads going to the border ever get to bloody is their shaving razor! This poor devil has had to kill more than ten people, for pity's sake! Do you think this is easy?! The first time I had to take a life was when I was eighteen and believe me, I remember his face to this day. You can not ask this of him! Or her!" he wheezed furiously.

The king buried his face in his hands. "I know. But I do not have to. I know my daughter will do what she thinks she must, and I have a feeling that he is no different." He uttered, tiredness clear in his voice.

"So we let two children set out into mortal peril while we old bastards sit around with our thumbs up our arses?"

Despite everything, the absurdity and Alistair's perfect rundown of it made him grin, albeit sadly. "I believe so…"

They heard a knock on the door and shortly after, it opened.

-spacer-

Link

Five royal guards had waited outside the king's quarters to escort them. They immediately formed a close perimeter around Zelda and him, looking grim. "Some help you were, boys…" Link couldn't help thinking with a slight frown, but let himself be escorted nonetheless. He saw, between the tall men in bulky armour, in how much of an uproar the castle still was. It was probably shortly after two o'clock in the morning and everyone, servant, maid and guardsman, were bustling around with a haunted look on their faces. This would be a long and hectic day for everyone… even more hectic when word got out that the princess had vanished… He felt a bit sorry for the poor people at the castle who would no doubt have to scour it all over again before the day was out… but it couldn't be helped. Every second here was unsafe, every moment could spell doom for the girl walking at his side…

It was hard not to take her hand, walking so close beside her that their shoulders brushed lightly against each other with each step. He could sense her nervousness, which, he suspected, was ironically mostly about having to meet and lie to her father and not about leaving the place she grew up in to go into the unknown. How weird minds are…

They reached the entrance to the king's study. He noticed that the guards in front of his door had been tripled. 'Sure, protect yourself… like you only protected your own ego for the last weeks…" Link thought bitterly. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Calm! Whatever you do, be polite. Snapping at him won't make anything easier! He swallowed as he gained sudden clarity of the situation. He might have to lie to his highest superior, the sovereign of his country… about stealing away his only daughter in the dead of night… What a lovely prospect…

Zelda furtively caressed his left palm with one finger, quickly but gently, and shot him a reassuring smile. He had to smile himself… of course she had felt his anxiety too… and even though her touch had lasted less than a second, it still was clear in meaning: 'Don't worry, everything will be alright!'

Link had to chuckle and, almost imperceptibly, shook his head. It was such a sweet and caring gesture, he just wanted to hug her. Who was looking out for whom again? Maybe they could share the load! He protected her from monsters and assassins and she protected him from politics… although that seemed like an unfair distribution… her work would be infinitely more dangerous…

The door was opened for them and they stepped through, into the lion's den. Only two people were here, the king and Sir Alistair. By the surprised way they both looked at them, they had been in the middle of a heated discussion. The monarch was behind his desk, the blademaster across and leaning over. Both were standing. They looked at each other one more time before parted.

Upon seeing the king's haunted, tired face, Link had a sudden thought… he leaned a tiny bit closer to Zelda. "You know… this might be the last time you see him in a long while…" he whispered. He could see her jaw muscles tense just a miniscule bit… He wasn't sure why he had said it… He didn't want to appear like he wanted to involve himself in their family dispute… but he also wanted to save her from doing something, or not doing something, she might come to regret.

Sir Alistair certainly showed no restraint. He quickly stepped over to them and embraced his princess tightly. With him, Zelda showed no inhibition and hugged him back. "My little flower… I wished I wasn't so old and useless…" he rasped softly. He looked over to Link and extended an arm to grasp his shoulder firmly. "Thank you, Link, for doing this old fool's job once again…"

It was an unfamiliar sight, seeing the blademaster so emotional… apparently he really did care for her much more than just as a guardian would. He nodded curtly, but sincerely. No thanks were needed, naturally, but he wouldn't embarrass himself by acting like it was nothing… or saying something mindless like 'my pleasure'.

The knight released the two of them and stepped to the side, giving unobstructed view of the king, who stood with the stiffness of someone who wasn't entirely sure how to approach the situation. Link looked to his side. Zelda too was standing like this… only with a lot more quiet fury in her posture.

"I…" the king began, but didn't get any farther.

"You wanted to say, you're sorry that your inaction almost got me killed again? You wanted to say what a self-centred bloody idiot you've been? You wanted to tell us that you will cease your petty, malicious games and let us be off?" she hissed in one single breath.

Link nearly took a step back, so scary was her ire. There goes diplomacy, he thought dryly.

The king stared at her for a few seconds. Then, without breaking eye-contact he said "Yes. To all three."

She crossed her arms and glared at him. "The problem is I can not trust you any more. I can not rely that this brief spell of good judgement lasts even until tomorrow!" "I do not want you to leave. Everything rational in me tells me that it would be wrong to simply allow you to go on this quest where so incalculably many things could go awry. But I also believe that I have been shown enough signs that my rationale is, on this account, sorely lacking. I do not know any more. To my shame, I can not help you any more. So I will not try to stop you any more." he assured, seeming sincere, at least to Link.

Zelda did not seem impressed. "Good. If I deem it safe, I will send periodic word of our wellbeing. Other than that, we might return once we have found the first location." she said matter-of-factly.

"I certainly hope you will…" her father muttered, looking positively dejected now.

Link chose this moment to interject. "Your majesty, if I may. It is likely that we return to the city as the other two places are still a mystery that needs to be uncovered. More research will be therefore be required. We would however need to keep our presence as secret as possible during any future stay, for I fear even more reckless attacks as soon as the enemy learns of our progress." he spoke, taking great care with his wording.

The king looked at him, with slight animosity at first, then his features softened. "I understand." he grumbled, then sighed. "You are a thoughtful young man… I may not like it, but I do begin to believe that you can keep my daughter safe…"

"If you had attempted to learn about his qualities instead of trying to deceive him, this would not come as such a surprise. Do you think I would go on such an undertaking with someone I didn't feel I could trust?" Zelda snapped, her posture still tense with barely veiled anger.

"No, but not only my judgement can err, child. And just as my feelings got in the way of clear thought, so can yours." he softly rebuked her.

Her eyes got even narrower and Link feared she might actually explode. He felt mostly apprehension at the king's last comment. How much did he know? Surely not everything, or he would probably hang somewhere in the dungeons by his thumbs. Then again… this outcome wasn't all that surprising, really, now was it? Still, that did not mean that it was at all welcome in her father's eyes…

Thankfully she remained silent… defiance in this very delicate matter might lead to even more complications…

The monarch sighed once again and slumped slightly. "Let us not quarrel, not now that we're soon to be separated. I am defeated and must let you go." he spoke silently, sounding incredibly sorrowful. He turned around to seat himself behind his desk again. "I would much rather try to make things right. I suggest a departure in three days… enough time to make preparations, would you not say?"

Link could feel Zelda was about to reprimand him again, probably tell him that he had no business deciding when they were to leave, but he furtively touched her hand with his finger, conveying a sense of urgency. "That will certainly be enough for everything to be arranged, sire. We must travel light in any case."

He could feel her gaze on him, but he was sure she understood that this deception was a necessary evil. It left a bad aftertaste in his mouth nonetheless. He felt like scum… unless the king was more devious than he could imagine, he had no doubt that he truly did want to try and mend the divide between him and his daughter. What father wouldn't? And Link would basically have to steal her away before he could, denying him this closure. If such a conniving course of action was the best possible solution, these were dark times indeed…

The aging lord sat back down heavily. "Good. Then only one more matter needs to be discussed. You will, I expect, be occasionally visiting towns and villages, correct?"

Link nodded curtly. "Aye, your majesty. We will attempt to always have provisions, as it will increase our speed. Hunting or foraging during our travel would slow us down considerably." he explained, while keeping it as vague as possible.

"Then you will be provided with ample funds, naturally. There is however the matter that you might run out. Or that it is stolen… For that reason, I do suggest that you, Zelda, take your signet ring with you. If all else fails, you can requisition supplies from guards or garrisons." he suggested.

Zelda, her arms still folded, thought it through. In the end she nodded slowly. "This would, however, be an absolute emergency procedure, as it would undermine all secrecy. Soldiers talk like washerwomen. It would not take long until the enemy can pinpoint our location once again." she put her thoughts into words.

"Do you have an alternative?" her father asked, curious.

"I do. Make Link a full knight. That way he has the authority to commandeer food, shelter and medical supplies, should the need arise. And a knight doing so will lead to substantially fewer rumours than if I am forced to reveal myself in this fashion." she suggested.

Link's head whipped around to stare at her, taken aback. That certainly was not something he had expected… She stared straight ahead with a neutral expression, clearly wanting to seem like this was simply a cold and calculating consideration. Maybe it was that… but somehow Link didn't think so…

The king hesitated. He scratched his beard while looking back and forth between his daughter and him. "You have a point, certainly. But a knight at fifteen?" he asked, more to himself than anybody else.

"There is precedent. Two cases, in fact." Zelda stated coolly. "Both of them noble's sons that got their honours mostly as a boon, or as part of an agreement. I understand your indecision, of course. You would have to do the same without any bolstering political scheme, but with mere accomplishment behind it. Infinitely more questionable!" she said, her sarcasm scathing enough that Link was surprised her father's hair didn't erupt in flame.

"Will you relent already… please, Zelda. And no. I will not knight him, not before his 16th year, as is standard. Before you protest, I will however give him a letter of reference, granting him the authority to do what you have just outlined." he decided, snatching a fresh piece of paper and uncorking his inkwell.

"Fair enough. It will suffice." Zelda sighed, but with a slight smile for this small victory.

"Sir Alistair, I believe the young man's badge of knighthood is already finished…" the king muttered while writing.

The blademaster grinned slyly. "I took the liberty of bringing it with me. I suspected this might be as good a time as any to award him with it." he rasped, producing a shiny silver trinket in the form of a shield, crossed diagonally by a sword, fixed to a sturdy looking steel chain. The smiling knight stepped close and without much fuss threw it over Link's head. Before he could react, his teacher then poked it with his thumb so hard it made him bend over slightly. You always have to be ready with the blademaster…

"Congratulations, lad." Sir Alistair cackled with a wide grin and extended his hand. "You've certainly earned a little toy for your troubles!"

Link straightened himself again and, now grinning like a fool, took his hand.

After their handshake, and after the now official aspirant had massaged some life back into his palm, he looked at the thing. On the blade crossing the shield was his name engraved. 'Link Andrésson, Knight A.' it read. It was just a toy, as his mentor had said, but still… it was an irrefutable proof of his accomplishments and therefore made his chest swell with pride, even though he felt like a dolt for it. Naturally, the king's insignia that would be stamped on it was still missing. It would come at the same time the 'A' would be cut through with a chisel, signifying the graduation from aspirant to a full knight with all honours. He wanted to be one, at some point… that boyish desire still held some fascination… but he wasn't much troubled that they wouldn't make him one right here and now. Other things were so much more important at the moment…

The king finished the document, signed it and, after melting a blot of wax, put his seal on it with his ring. "With this and your badge you should be able to enlist the help of any countryman of Hyrule. In theory at least… many, especially in the periphery, might be sceptical, as they have never laid eyes upon my regalia. The commander of any of my garrisons will know that it is genuine, however." he warned.

Link stepped forward and took the valuable paper in his hand with a bow. "Thank you, your majesty. I will endeavour to never having to use it, purely as safety precaution. But it is relieving to have this option nonetheless…" he said politely.

The king gave the faintest nod and even graced him with a tiny smile… or it could have been a frown, it was hard to tell.

"I believe that is all for this night. I suggest you try to rest for a few hours, ere you start making preparations. My chambers are, naturally, at your disposal, Zelda."

She nodded slowly. Link couldn't tell whether her tired face was an act or genuine. Both was very possible…

"I will, of course, resume my guard duty until I am relieved, your highness." he assured, jumping at the handy excuse not to go to his own room.

"Admirable. Good night, then. Alistair, you too. I wish to be alone."

The two knights bowed, Zelda just turned on her heel and left. Outside the five guards had waited, as expected, and were ready to accompany them back. "I will see you back to the king's quarters, highness. I would like to have a word with you, if you permit it." the blademaster croaked.

"Certainly, Sir Alistair." she replied. Link had an inkling what this conversation would be about and judging by her expression, so did she. Maybe this trusted knight would have more success at convincing her to at least write a letter to her father, instead of just vanishing into thin air.

On the way, the new young knight pondered about his mentor. Having him as ally in their plans could prove immensely helpful… but it was a risk… what if he disagreed with their scheme and tried to stop them? What would predominate… his loyalty to his liege lord or his soft-spot for his daughter?

They reached the master-chambers and the five guards took defensive positions in front of it and, to Link's surprise, deliberately left a middle spot free. A spot for him to assume… a spot of leadership. He had to admit, their behaviour gave quite a bit of satisfaction. These were all hardened men… there were no green boys among the royal guard. These guys had had their metal tested. But apparently his repeated success had awarded him considerable respect, grudging or not. But he couldn't take his spot quite yet.

"Sir Alistair? I too wish for a quiet word, if I may." he exclaimed, having made up his mind. Both he and Zelda, right about to enter the chamber, looked a bit surprised. Then he nodded briskly, walked in and left the door open.

Once inside, both were giving him expectant gazes. Now he only had to find the right words to make his superior commit high treason… what could possibly be easier…

"Master, I… I am afraid I must ask you to for the promised assistance a little sooner than anticipated…" he began.

"Oh?" his mentor asked guardedly. Link caught the slightly aghast look on Zelda's beautiful face and tried to smile reassuringly at her. Her look clearly questioned whether he had just thrown caution to the wind or whether he had an actual plan. Truthfully, he still wasn't sure himself. The blademaster, from what he had heard and experienced, was a fiercely loyal man. But he also reminded him of himself… He judged the aging man as someone who wouldn't hesitate a second to inform the king of any mistakes he was making. This was the point at which to apply leverage… Or at least attempt to…

"The princess and I will not wait three more days. We can not. The risk is far too great. There is only one responsible moment to take this action. And that is now." he said, trying his utmost to appear as sincere as he felt.

Sir Alistair looked at him coolly for at least ten seconds and Link could feel himself starting to sweat under the intense glare. "You are asking me to assist you in going against the king's express orders." he rasped, more as statement than as question. His toneless voice gave little to no indication about his emotions; he could just as easily be amused as downright murderous.

Link swallowed, but drew himself to his full height and stared squarely into the man's grey eyes. "I do, Sir Alistair. I have no choice but to disobey in this matter. And I am willing to bear any and all consequences once Zelda is safe. But until then, I believe that taking the right measure is more important than blind submission." he stated clearly and earnestly.

"And if I refuse, boy? What then?" the blademaster barked and his glare intensified. There was no doubt now that he was angry. Possibly downright insulted.

"You are in accordance with this?" he snarled and his head whipped around to Zelda.

She was not to be cowed however. She walked over to Link and, to his shock, locked her fingers with his. She raised her chin defiantly. "I am. Wholeheartedly." she pronounced and squeezed his hand. Link squeezed back and had to bite down on the inside of his cheek to keep his eyes from getting wet, he was so moved.

The knight glared at them for another couple of seconds, then sighed and slumped. "Children…" he muttered.

"I can not remain here, uncle, not even for a day. More people will die because these attackers stop at nothing to get to me. I _can not_ stay…" she repeated urgently.

"I have prepared rations for at least four days and Zelda's backpack is readied as we speak. This is no fool's errand, master." Link added.

"Your father will be heartbroken, child. He is hurting already, this will make it infinitely worse." he rasped almost gently, sadness in his eyes… but also understanding.

"That brings me no satisfaction, but it also can not deter me. He and he alone made the choice not to trust me. Now my trust too has withered under his disregard." she uttered harshly.

"Your assistance would enable us to take horses, Sir Alistair. And, I feel dirty for saying this, it would also allow us to take money with us." the young knight belaboured him.

The sword-master rubbed his tired eyes, clearly thinking. Both children of fate held their breath, waiting for his decision.

"I can't say that this isn't at least a little expected. But I had hoped that your arguments weren't as compelling… So you know where you're going and you know the way you are taking? You know how to survive in the wilderness, know how to treat wounds so they don't fester?" he croaked softly, his eyes still hidden in his hand.

"Yes." they both said unanimously. "If all else fails, we will pass closely to my hometown. Whatever we might have forgotten, we can acquire there." Link appended.

"In four days, then, I assume, judging by the rations you mentioned. They are from your companions who leave the capital soon, correct?" the aging man asked, his wit as sharp as his blade.

"Correct."

The blademaster gave another heavy sigh and looked at both of them, his eyes now red from the rubbing. "Whatever happened to children who just foolishly eloped? At least then I would have adequate reason to stop you. …I do not like this, but damn me for a fool, I find that I trust your judgement. The judgement of two fifteen year-olds over my liege lord, fuck me. Beg your pardon, princess…" he quickly excused, looking genuinely startled at his outburst in front of her.

Zelda gave a short giggle. "You are excused… just this once." And she let go of Link's hand to hug the knight… fiercely, lovingly… Link could see by her quavering lip that she was fighting her tears.

"Not so quick! I will help you under three conditions. One, you have to write him a letter, at least, child. I know he has hurt you, Zelda… but you should be above petty retaliation like this." he rasped gently. In his arms, Zelda swallowed, but nodded.

"Two, you will stop at… Ord, I believe, you're from right? You will stop there and send confirmation that you are doing well. Or not, depending. Whatever letters you send, the addressee will be "Runga Strongback", a Goron and dear friend of mine. All my secret correspondence goes through him. You can be sure that whatever you write will pass through his hands directly to me. Is that clear?"

Link nodded. This did sound like a good system. As they had no way of knowing who, or even how many were working for the agents of the Threat, sending letters directly to the castle would have been a bad idea. With such a front, they had a quite strong layer of security. "And third?"

"Third, I demand that you return to Hyrule city once this first location has been found. You can not deny Tiberian to look upon his daughter after weeks of danger and, potentially, no news of her wellbeing. Before you protest, there is no need to visit the castle for this. It would not be the first time that the king has met with people furtively in the lower city. It would also give both of us opportunity to exchange information that can not be easily shared through letters. State of affairs with the attacks on the Gerudo, safety on the road, other dangers that you might want to avoid… such a meeting would be in your interest as well." The blademaster explicated in a way that made sense to both of them.

"Are we agreed?" he grumbled.

Link tried to catch Zelda's gaze. This was her decision more than his. They exchanged a long look, then both nodded as one. "We are." he affirmed.

"Wonderful." the knight wheezed sourly. "Time to commit treason then…"

-spacer-

Zelda

Sir Alistair had made good on his word, as she knew he would. She had feared for a moment that he would get enraged at their disobedience, she had to admit… but in the end she had known that he saw the reason for it. He had already handed her a pouch with 500 rupees, all that he could requisition from the treasury without giving any reason. It was a lot for Zelda, as weird as that was… she had never held so much money. Probably Link hadn't either, but for her, paying was still a fresh concept, as silly as that was.

The two of them had surreptitiously gathered their belongings. She her sword, her signet ring and lithe silver necklace with a pendant shaped like the Triforce, which had belonged to her mother. She had debated with herself if she should bring the last item… in the end she couldn't part with it, even though she felt a bit like a child, clinging so to something of her mother's.

Link had gathered nearly all his meagre belongings in his backpack. Seeing that all he owned could be carried on his back made her strangely sad… it was a wonder to her that they understood each other so well, thinking about how different their worlds were… Then again, they simply made them grow closer, didn't they? In all this terror and despair, this at least was an encouraging thought…

They had been escorted of the castle by the blademaster, after he had disbanded the five royal guardsman that were supposed to keep watch. Zelda had no idea how they would have gotten rid of them if they hadn't enlisted his help.

They had separated now, as Sir Alistair prepared the outer gate for them to be let through. He had already sent word to the stables, so the horses should be saddled and ready by now. Before they could mount, however, they had to meet with Sally.

She already waited in the designated nook. She looked about as happy as could be expected.

"Finally! I was beginning to worry dear uncle had thrown you into the dungeons for your insolence!" she twittered with a distinctly sour undertone.

"Don't start with him. Writing a letter explaining my sudden disappearance was hard enough… did you get everything, Sally?" Zelda asked, starting to feel really tired. The prospect of riding quite a distance away from the city before they could relax was not a very pleasant one.

"Sure, you know how much I love going through your stuff. I packed all your favourite undergarments, even the one with the little pink hearts…" she sang, slowly and with relish opening the backpack as if to show its contents.

Zelda quickly slapped her hand down on it and glowered at her cousin. "At least there's one thing that eases my departure: You, creature, staying here!" she growled, and felt her ears grow uncomfortably warm. Link politely looked the other way, at least…

"Blanket, clothes, toilet things, a few ribbons to get your annoying hair under control… I think I got everything…" Saria said ponderously.

"Thank you!" Zelda grumbled, giving her little cousin a peck on the forehead. "We did involve uncle Alistair, by the way. We will be sending him the occasional letter. You know, in case you are even remotely interested."

Sally shrugged, but her air of nonchalance wasn't quite convincing any more. "I will make time in my busy schedule. To be perfectly honest, I'm still debating whether to just follow you…" she mumbled.

Zelda sighed with a mixture of exasperation and sympathy and went to say something. Sally raised her hands placatingly. "I know… you want some alone time and I would get in the way. Having to see the two of you constantly would probably drive me insane anyway…"

That reminded her of something. Link was standing a few steps away, furtively checking on her pack. To check that everything was where it should be, she hoped, and not to catch a glimpse of undergarments…

She walked over with a sly grin. "By the way…" she purred, stood on her tip-toes and planted a sweet, long kiss on his lips. Her legs still seemed to turn to hot air, along with her brain, whenever she did that. When she broke away, she was happy to see his delightfully befuddled expression. "Congratulations, my knight." she whispered with a loving smile that seemed to finish him off. He turned a bright crimson which could even be seen clearly in candlelight.

"First your idiot, now your knight…" he mused softly, reciprocating a smile so full of affection that she felt her own cheeks flush. "What else might happen?" he questioned, his grin turning impish.

"Good Nayru's mercy and grace! Would you stop your incessant canoodling?! Don't you have weeks of doing that in front of you, you lucky bastards?!" Sally exclaimed, glaring at them, her hands on her hips. "I want to have at least four little nieces and nephews when you return, you hear me?!" she griped, but now there was clear sadness in her quavering voice.

Zelda sighed compassionately and, turning away from Link (whose crimson face instantly turned a deep red), locked Sally in her arms as tightly as she could. "I will miss you so much…" she breathed, swallowing and feeling tears in her eyes. Sally extended her arm, beckoning him to join their embrace. "You too, mister knight-guy. I want to hug you too, even if you don't deserve it." Saria muttered, looking so miserable that Zelda's heart threatened to break.

Link, after a slightly awkward pause, joined them and embraced them both. Sally, after a second, gave him an intense punch on the back. He barely even moved. "That's for taking her away, you arsehole. You bring her back, you hear? Or no freaking dragon will save you from me." she threatened, sobbing, burying her face in his chest.

Link pressed both of them a little tighter to him. "I will. I promise."

-spacer-

They were about to pass through the city gate, the last threshold between the place that, despite everything, was her home and the vast wilderness of the rest of the world. They walked, leading the horses by their reins. Even at night, horseback riding was prohibited for everyone inside Hyrule, except of course for soldiers and knights on duty. As they were incognito from now on, they naturally abided by that law to avoid unwanted attention. Sir Alistair had ensured their passage through the castle gate. Zelda wore a dark grey cloak, covering nearly everything that could be even remotely identifying a person. Normally the guards would have stopped her, of course… they would have stopped everyone at this heightened state of alarm. But with the blademaster's help…

They passed under the broad stone arch and Zelda felt her heart hammering in her chest. She kept her gaze fixed at Link, her protector, walking a few metres in front of her. Dear goddess… everything would change from this moment on. Everything she'd known, every comfort she was accustomed to… gone behind that gate now. An all new world, with all its boundless wonders and its innumerable dangers… the greatest one looming unknowable on the horizon. Her breath quickened, but she set her jaw, determined not to stop.

As if he had felt her anxiety, Link stopped and turned around. He smiled softly and extended his hand, both beckoning and reassuring. She took it, without hesitation, and together they stepped into the land beyond the walls.

"How are you feeling?" he asked gently.

Zelda shrugged, her feelings too turbulent to give a coherent answer. It was absurd, she thought. Right now I am not afraid still of the attempt on my life, but of an extended camping trip? How does that make sense? She knew that sooner or later her emotions that were now kept in check by her mind would come crashing down upon her at some point. The horror, the danger, the fear of dying, the bloodshed… Maid Anya's sacrifice… but, thankfully, her waking mind had chosen another, a more graspable topic to be concerned with that kept all that far away.

In the end, she whispered: "Anxious… exhilarated, terrified… you?" Her voice cracked, much to her embarrassment.

"Much of the same… but also encouraged." he muttered, seeming genuine and not just putting on a brave face. Thank the goddesses he also felt like this… She had known already, when he had barely been able to say a word to his friend Ricco, who diligently had done as asked. But it was nice to hear him confirm it… she didn't want to be the weak link, the bothersome appendage to his expertise…

They had passed through and were now on the bridge. Both Link and she looked to the east where the clouds was already aflame with the day's first rays of sunlight.

Light…

Something that had subliminally troubled her for the last few days chose this moment to appear in her conscious. Her hand still in his, thankfully, she asked something she could barely put into words.

"Link? Something has been bothering me… if all this… if we… are just copies or… resurgences of old souls… how can we be sure that this is… us? If all our actions, our thoughts and wants, even our looks… if they are all preordained, what then is defining us? Are we even…" she couldn't continue, but judging from his look, she didn't need to. He halted, looking very thoughtful for a second. Then he snorted softly and smiled. He looked at her with his beautiful, deep blue eyes that she could so easily succumb to.

"Close your eyes." he gently ordered and she did.

He raised her hand that was still interlocked with his and felt the back of his hand against her cheek. She breathed in deeply as a pleasant shiver spread through her body.

"Do you feel this?" she heard him ask. She nodded.

"This is you!" he said, with a wonderfully loving voice. "You can choose at any point to push my hand away…"

She felt her eyebrows furrow on their own at this dreadful thought. Almost imperceptibly, she shook her head.

"That is your decision, Zelda, no-one else's." he explained. "And this…"

She felt his soft, tender lips against hers and her heart skipped a beat in exultation. He nibbled gently on her lip before drawing away so only their noses still touched. "This is me. And this was my decision." he whispered.

Zelda opened her eyes again and looked at his. She felt a smile creep on her lips, a blissfully genuine one, possibly the most heartfelt smile she had ever experienced. 'Could it truly be this easy?' her mind asked.

…'Why not?' her soul answered.


	32. Chapter 31

**Hey, guess what! I learned to do the thing with the line to seperate scenes! No more -spacer- nonsense! It's almost as if I knew what I was doing...  
Bit of a shorter chapter this time. It always depends on the pacing...**

 **Enjoy!**

Chapter 31

What a dreadful place! You'd think anyone calling himself 'general' would at least try to establish some semblance of order…

She weaved her way through the chaotic horde of Bokoblins, nattering, gorging, brawling, like the despicable beasts they were. The whole camp was illuminated by the occasional roaring fire, over which the things grilled huge roasts. The stark contrast of firelight to the blackness of night made the monstrosities look more demonic than they had any right to. She kept her gaze straight ahead, knowing without looking that she had nearly all their stares on her. Despite preferring absolutely any place over this one, she felt a certain satisfaction. Even near-mindless creatures like these were awed by her sharp beauty. She left the outer ring of the horde and entered the more central Moblin camp with a smug grin. These things seemed a little more organized at least, despite their horrendously appalling exterior. And goodness, the smell! Like a pigsty mixed with garrison cesspit… not that she would ever even consider entering either… She liked to get her hands dirty in other ways…

Here too she felt hungry gazes follow her, watch her every graceful movement. None of the creatures dared stop her, naturally… the mere thought was preposterous!

She steered straight for the 'general's' tent, preparing her delicate nose for yet another wave of repulsive stench.

One of the Moblins guarding the entry flap gave some low grunt, which she ignored. The inside was even gloomier than the nightly camp outside… only two braziers to both sides offered a little bit of reddish light. In the middle, on a massive pile of pelts, sat the, without a doubt in her mind, biggest, ugliest, most disgusting creature that had ever soiled her Lord's earth. It looked at her with wild, blood-red eyes. She couldn't read his repulsive snouted face and she wouldn't bother even if she could. The thing always looked like it was on the brink of madness anyway.

She swaggered closer, stepping around the reeking remains of his last meal strewn on the ground.

She stood right before him, in a slightly coquettish sort of way, sure that her matchless beauty wasn't lost on even a cultureless swine like him.

Even when he was sitting she barely reached to his shoulder… and she had long, shapely legs…

A low grumble could be heard from the beast and it leaned forward just slightly.

She smiled sweetly. "Now now, Ghorin. Is that a way to greet a good friend and valuable ally?" she cooed.

Another rumble, louder this time.

"Before we discuss matters, or rather, before I discuss matters and you agree, I would like a cup of water. I have travelled far…"

She could hear his massive teeth crunch against each other and, after a most discourteous second, he waved his hand towards an enormous bronze goblet to his right.

"I would rather prefer a cup over a trough, if you would…" she hummed sweetly.

A growl escaped him, but he belched a few words in this dreadful language of theirs, which made a Bokoblin servant crawl from whatever nook he had been hiding. He rummaged around behind the 'throne' and produced a silvery cup, which he dunked into the goblet and then served her.

She toyed with the idea of refusing and instead demanding fresh water, but thought better of it. Getting the huge beast too riled up wouldn't help matters, no matter how enjoyable a sight it was. She took the proffered cup and, trying not to think about how utterly unclean both cup and water must be, took a delicate sip. Stale, with just a hint of pig… her smile wavered for only a moment when she tried to calm her rebelling stomach.

"Delectable, my sweet _general_. Thank you for your hospitality!" she smarmed, sarcasm oozing from her voice.

Another low grunt, and the balling of his huge, gauntleted fist were her answer.

"Very well, as you seem to be in a hurry. But I am sure I am telling you nothing new. Our Lord is indeed awakening! Every creature with half a brain can feel it!" she giggled, knowing full well that he could not.

A few grumbles in quick succession.

"No, I don't think so, my dear. Soon, yes… but what is soon for a god older than time?"

Another slightly urgent grunt.

"Indeed. They appear to have left the city. No doubt they are on the way to one of the resting places."

He lifted his left paw and smacked it back down onto the armrest of his 'throne', giving a loud growl, intermingled with a drawn out squeak.

She just smiled benevolently at him like you would smile at a slow child. "I did not lose them, sweetling. I let them go unchallenged because I know where they will eventually emerge. They are about as lost to me as two mice in a maze of my own devising, where I control all the exits." she cooed.

He balled both of his hands to fist and, seemingly calmed, gave another low grumble.

"You are certainly welcome to try. It is a long journey… Have you done as I instructed?" she asked with a sudden voice of command.

He made a noise that could be interpreted as indignant snarling, but that would probably be too refined an emotion for him to have.

Still, she smiled, pleased. "Good boy." she purred, leaning over to stroke his massive wrist. She knew how much he hated when she talked down to him like that, which was precisely why she did it.

He pulled his hand back and grunted something at her.

Her features opened in genuine surprise. "You caught her! Why Ghorin! Could it be that you are showing the first signs of competence at your advanced age?" she cackled rather unladylike, so she stopped herself by holding a porcelain hand in front of her full lips. She could feel his anger radiating off him… then again, he was as subtle as an erupting volcano.

He leaned forward until his large face was only half a metre away from her. She had to consciously maintain her aloof features, or his stench would have forced her to recoil. "I didn't hurt your fragile feelings, now did I?" she teased.

He shot her a few quick snarling grunts.

Her smile faded and anger sparkled in her eyes. "My ' _attempts'_ were almost successful. They would have been, had the fucking boy not intervened. That little rat-faced brat had to rear his bloody head at just the wrong time! My plans were solid and my people operate like clockwork. What about yours, swine-herder?" she spat before she could stop herself. Oh dear, her bad habit…

Ghorin showed his teeth and sniggered deeply. She was furious! This… insect had broken her composure! She swore that she would piss on his fucking corpse before this was over!

…but for now, with immense self-control, which she naturally had, she calmed and smiled amicably again.

She extended her hand and gently patted his long, grotesque snout. "Let us not quarrel, my dear, sweet Ghorin. We are two of the most important cogs in the Lord's wonderful machine, are we not? We need to set an example!" she hummed softly.

The monstrosity slowly leaned back into his disgusting fur-pile-throne and growled lowly.

Her smile turned sinister and knowing. If only you knew, you big oaf… "Indeed, _general_. Though stopping them won't even be necessary, once my plans are in motion."

She delighted in the look of confusion in his eyes. Do you really think I tell you everything, you walking, grunting culmination of all that is stupid?

"Now… where are you keeping your shady captive? I would very much like to have a few words…" she cooed, knowing her smile had turned bloodthirsty and embracing it.

* * *

Link

Oh, goddess, just five more minutes!

He slowly opened bleary eyes and looked through a canopy of beech-leaves, trying to gauge the time. About two in the afternoon, perhaps… which means they had slept for three hours.

Damn you, internal clock, for being such a diligent piece of sh… he felt nearly as tired as when they had lied down. But it would have to be enough… Right now they needed to get as far away from the city as possible! The farther they were away, the more unlikely it was for anyone following to find them.

He had led them on the north road until the first bend, where they had left it to cut straight across the country… almost five hours of travel. Now they were somewhere in the aptly named north forest.

He sat up, rubbed the tiredness out of his eyes and looked at the sleeping beauty a metre off. Too bad she lay with her back to him… or actually, that was good, or he might have wasted minutes just looking at her lovely face…

Thankfully everything seemed to be in order… they hadn't made camp, not really. They only planned to have a nap to get enough sleep to continue until nightfall.

Link could only hazily remember how he'd spread out her blanket, tied the horses to a tree and returned to prepare his own spot, noticing that Zelda already breathed in the steady rhythm of sleep. He too must have fallen into an exhausted slumber as soon as his head touched the ground… no wonder… He could probably count all the muscles that complained at each and every movement individually… but they'd most likely complain at him counting as well, so he didn't.

She seemed to sleep peacefully… which was probably just the exhaustion. With pity weighing on his heart, Link suspected that yesterday's terror would haunt her dreams ere long. A shame to wake her, but he had no choice.

…but how should he wake her? He felt a bit silly, but touching her while she slept seemed a little… forward. Speak loudly? He didn't want to startle her!

Goddess damn it, if he couldn't even handle this…

He stood up and stretched, hoping that once his mind had chosen to wake up, such difficult decision making would become conquerable.

…to hell with it. He wasn't just a travel companion, was he? Certainly not! A part of his mind now wanted to know how a maid would wake the princess… probably cower behind a half-closed door and throw sweets until the horrifying deed was done… yes, that must be it!

After having reached that idiotic but funny conclusion, he decided to stop thinking and bent down next to her. He gently touched the fine white cloth over her shoulder and ran his thumb up and down her upper arm slowly. "Zelda?" he asked softly, hoping that he wouldn't have to resort to more drastic measures… like ask louder.

Thankfully she stirred and her elegant brow furrowed a bit. "Mmmmh?" she grumbled, barely awake.

He grinned slightly at the cute sight. "We need to get going again, Zelda." he said, a little firmer now that she wouldn't be startled any more.

"Mmprgfff." she stated eloquently, turning her head further away from him.

Link chuckled. "Always my princess teaches me new words. I am truly blessed!" he cooed. "Up, sleepy! Remember, I have all the food!"

She gave a low, throaty grumble, then slowly pushed herself to a sitting position and opened her eyes. He expression was so sour as if she had eaten a whole plantation of lemons, with pack-mule and everything… and he loved it!

"Don't you dare deny me food as well as sleep, you!" she growled while shaking her head in an attempt to drive away the languor.

Link felt himself grinning like a maniac… good thing she looked off into the other direction or she'd probably question his sanity… if her brain had commenced any activity yet. "Now, who would have thought that you could be so delightfully grumpy, my sweet princess?" he whispered in her ear, having to hold back immeasurably to not gently nibble on it.

She turned her head slightly, so she could eye his smirking face grouchily over her shoulder. "I would. And I am not much of a morning person…" she mumbled.

"Good thing it isn't morning, then." he piped, and gave her a quick peck on the cheek. He rose up before she could exact any sort of revenge on him… he wasn't quite sure yet what she was capable of in this state.

"That is not going to save you…" she grumbled, referring to his little kiss.

"No? Do you need more?" he asked, enjoying himself rather greatly.

Grumble, rumble, growl… "More sleep, yes. More waking, no." she muttered, but finally stood up. He marvelled at her shapely physique as she stretched delicately, and smiled at the way her golden hair-braid swung back and forth. He caught himself staring before she turned around, thankfully, and went over to roll up his blanket. She too did so, and quite deftly at that. She waddled over to the horses and tucked it in a saddlebag.

"How long do you intend to travel today, slave-driver?" she asked while he did the same.

"Until nightfall, slave. The more miles we get between us and the city, the better. She gave a throaty sigh and let her head fall against the horse's side, showing that she had seen his answer coming, but was unsatisfied with it nonetheless.

"Fine…" she grunted and, suddenly graceful like water, she mounted her mare. She gave Link a smug little grin and watched intently for his horse-mounting-performance. So far he had done well enough with his beast… he had admitted to the blademaster that he was inexperienced at riding, so he had picked a gentle one for him. Still, as you could see with the lovely princess, even the most gentle of creatures could become cranky without enough sleep… oh well…

He put his foot in the stirrup and hoisted himself up and into the saddle, more with strength than with grace, which the horse commented with a slightly derogatory sounding neigh. Zelda, now suddenly in far better spirits, smirked. "We'll have to work on that, won't we?" she twittered

"You can show me all you know about riding…" he answered coquettishly, wanting to slap himself a second afterwards.

Thankfully, she didn't seem to have caught that particular little tastelessness and just nodded gracefully. "That way?" she asked, pointing.

"That way." he answered, correcting the course only slightly, and they were off. Thankfully the forest was pretty open, so they could ride alongside most of the time. Also thankfully, the horse did most of the steering on its own, so he could spend as much time as possible throwing her glances, drinking in her beauty and grace. She still looked a tiny bit grumpy… Oh! Right! He'd nearly forgotten…

Link leaned back and fumbled for something in the saddlebag. After a brief search he produced a loaf of travel bread and a palm sized piece of cheese, both of which he broke in half. Zelda, with a hungry look in her eyes manoeuvred her mare close and eagerly accepted the proffered food. She took a bite of the coarse bread and sighed while chewing.

"Why don't you tell me that you're so hungry, you little fool?" he asked caringly while shaking his head at her.

She stopped mid-bite and lowered the cheese. He saw a little red creep onto her ears and cheeks. "Because I didn't want to seem like a weak bellyacher…" she admitted lowly, throwing him an apologetic glance.

His facial expression was the equivalent of having one's arms akimbo in a huff. "None of that, you! No need to hunger because of any such nonsense! Right now, it's only us, Zelda. We need to look out for each other, true… But! We also need to _allow_ the other to do that, do you understand? Telling me what you need doesn't make you a bother, it shows me that I can trust your judgement as a companion. But you can be sure that, in reciprocation, I will tell you the instant you do become bothersome, alright?" he finished with a smirk.

Zelda seemed torn between shame for her slightly childish thoughts and amusement… She showed a cute pouty grin. "So what kind of behaviour is it to offer the princess only half of the food and not more?" she asked with mock indignation, finally taking her bite from the hard cheese.

Link knew an immediate counter for that. "Well, if your highness would like me to treat her strictly as princess, she need only say so." he pronounced wryly. He knew how evil that was… making her choose between, well, him and _food_. What he only now realized, this was also very risky… what if she chose to forsake him for a few bites more?!

"Villainy and devilry!" she exclaimed with a sour face. "Decent vassals are truly hard to come by in these trying times!"

She allayed his half-serious fears with a sly grin.

They continued northwards in silence for a while. Seeing Zelda's grace on horseback made him feel more and more like an oaf. He had 'mastered' the first lesson of riding, which was staying in the saddle without dying even at a slow walk, but he felt like he did little else right. At least the beast below him was patient, although he could feel a certain lack of trust… which, he had to admit, was mutual. During their quiet, he focused solely on the rhythm of Janna's (his mare) movement and tried to match it with his own body. At least that endeavour gave him an excuse to watch his lovely companion closely… purely for academic purposes, naturally.

"So… we are just travelling alongside the north road, correct?" Zelda asked suddenly.

Link looked at her, slightly bemused. She knew the answer to that question… she probably knew their travel plan better than he did. Did she just not want to be alone with her thoughts, maybe?

"Right. We are just a couple of kilometres east of it. If need be we can emerge onto the road in half an hour." he informed, watching her face.

She nodded and fell silent again with a slightly troubled expression, possibly not knowing what to bring up to take her mind off things. He understood her wholeheartedly. He too evaded his own thoughts as best he could… only she did not have like learning to ride to occupy her brain with.

Right then… forced conversation, my favourite! Well, might as well get a use out of it!

"Say… how long did it take you to learn how to ride? Comfortably, I mean…" he asked.

She looked up, as if she had already been buried beneath worry and needed to claw herself back out. "Hmm… I already learned when I was seven… but I don't think I was ever that good. Especially in the last couple of years, when I had little to no opportunity to take Celeste for a ride." she said with an affectionate smile and patted her white mare on the neck.

Link had to grin. Of course she had a shimmering white horse… and of course it would be named something like _Celeste_ … He had pondered whether to actually let her take it, as such a fine beast would be a bit conspicuous. But she had been so eager to ride out with it that he couldn't say no. Besides, Hyrule had the finest horses far and wide, thanks to her large steppe landscapes. It was not that unusual that even a nobody had an excellent mount.

They continued to talk about the high art of riding and Zelda gave him instructions on how to improve his posture, rhythm and, most importantly, how to avoid getting chafed to the bone at rather delicate places. She was a strict teacher, accepting none of his shenanigans while she instructed him. He liked seeing her like that, adored her beautiful, high voice when she told him what to do in a hard tone. They did a few trots and even a short canter so he at least knew how that felt, should they ever need to make a quick escape. Surprisingly, the quicker the horse's pace, the easier it felt to control himself on its back. Possibly because his slight apprehension about the added difficulty made him concentrate, but on the other hand, his body just seemed to react naturally. Once he had overcome his nervousness, the rush of speed with wind in his hair felt exhilarating. He did nearly get ejected over Janna's head once it stopped, but that only kindled his excitement. It was a beautiful feeling in the saddle, thrilling to never be fully in control, to become one moving body with the beast below you… doubly so with her riding at his side…

After he had manoeuvred himself back into the saddle and had heard her high, clear laugh at his expense, the world seemed almost right…

* * *

Many hours they travelled side by side, yet Link's goal to journey until nightfall soon proved to be rather optimistic. They were walking now, leading their horses through the woods, as they had both felt their patience run dangerously dry. The sunlight was falling in lowly through the leaves now, but sundown would still be at least two hours off. He felt the weariness turn his limbs to lead and most of his concentration was on the ground ahead, lest his tired feet stumble. Yet with his ears he listened keenly for any sign that Zelda had reached her limit. He hated that he needed to drive her so, but he felt that he had little choice in the matter. They could ease their pace in the following days, but today was critical. Today, should their enemies find them, they would not only be exhausted from the previous attack, but also utterly alone. So, he needed to make sure that they were deeply in hiding. He had led them further east, farther away from the road, so when they eventually set up a fire, it would not be seen by any travellers.

The weariness at least quelled any attempt at pondering. Right now, the only thing that needed thinking through was where to put the next step. Left, right, left, right… a steady rhythm that should not be broken, for once it was, it would be next to impossible to start again. He wanted to stop… every fibre in his body yelled at him to stop, but that wasn't the reason. If he felt this exhausted, how hard must it be for her? While she was certainly not out of shape, she was not used to this level of strain. And it would be unwise to burn all her energy on the first day… but every step they took offered greater safety. He wanted to stop… but should he?

As if to answer, he heard Zelda stumble over a root. She caught herself quickly, but looked startled nonetheless. Looking up at Link, she gave him a tired, weak smile. The message was clear. One harmless stumble would soon lead to more, as the feet progressively denied their service. He smiled back apologetically and nodded. She closed her eyes and nodded back, looking grateful. Link was about to unsaddle Janna, when both she and Celeste suddenly shied, their nostrils flaring nervously. He looked around for what might have caused offence, but Zelda noticed it first. Half hidden behind a large tree trunk lay a carcass of a deer, by what he could see. Nothing out of the ordinary, normally, but what caught Link's attention was, at a second glance, just how much blood seemed to be splattered around. He motioned for Zelda to be silent, grabbed his sheathed sword from where he had affixed it to the saddle bag and carefully went closer. Suddenly quite awake once more, he strained his ears for any suspicious noise before he rounded the tree. Nothing could be heard…

When he had the slain deer in full view, he involuntarily wrinkled his nose. The animal's belly was sliced open, but uncleanly, as if it had been done with a dull blade. It's abdomen and thorax had been emptied. Its intestine was carelessly thrown away, together with other hastily ripped off bits, while heart, liver, spleen and kidneys were missing altogether. Whatever had eaten here, it had lacked the cool efficiency of a predatory animal, but had shown a vicious disregard for its prey, throwing meat around and splashing with blood as if it considered it sport. Lastly, Link noticed a hole in the deer's neck, with the broken off shaft of an arrow barely jutting out. Using a fallen leaf, he managed to pull it out without dirtying his fingers. A crude arrow, the tip just sharpened wood… the make of Bokoblin… but from the looks of this place, a lone one… but could he rely on that?

Link returned the few metres to Zelda, who was waiting anxiously. She looked at him, many questions clearly visible in her worried face. "We need to leave. We go at least another half hour. And briskly." he commanded curtly. "A Bokoblin killed this one with bow and arrow. It was alone, but that doesn't mean that there aren't more around somewhere. This corpse is not a day old…"

Now there was fear in her eyes and it bit at his soul. "Bokoblin so close to Hyrule city…" she whispered. They both mounted again, their horses' urge to be away from this place strong enough to endure their weight once more, as long as they left.

"I don't understand. What could this creature possibly gain from being so close to the city?" Zelda asked as they trotted away.

What indeed? Link had an uncomfortable theory, but it seemed far-fetched, even in these illogical times. Could it be a spy for the agents of the Threat? They had used Moblins, but only as a sort of distraction… And Bokoblin in any manner of organization that exceeded small tribes was unheard of. "I can not be sure. I happened upon a lone Boko a couple of months ago… It could still be coincidence. Separated by its gang and bumbling aimlessly through the forest…" he tried to reason, calming nobody, least of all himself.

"What will we do?" she asked, anxious, but determined.

"No fire today. We look for a sheltered spot and spend the night there. Autumn hasn't yet begun, it's still easily warm enough." he decided.

He saw her nod. "The horses are skittish now and they have excellent hearing. They will hear and wake, should anything approach." she told him.

"Good point." he agreed, hoping it will be enough. No matter how much he wanted to, he couldn't stand guard the entire night _and_ ride the entire day after. He didn't like it, but he would have to rely on their mounts' ears and his own ability to sense danger…

They rode for a good 40 minutes before they dared stop. The horses, feeling their riders' tension, thankfully didn't rebel. The brief moment of alertness soon gave way to utter weariness once more. Even Link, despite the more bumpy trot, felt his head sink and his eyes close involuntarily before jerking back awake once or twice. When finally they found a grove of close standing trees they could use as cover, there was no more gracefulness as they slid down from the saddles. The light was dim now, under the canopy and he wanted nothing more than to lie down and sink into sleep's comforting arms. Poor Zelda looked equally exhausted, her normally so bright face slack, her eyes closed more often than open. Damn, he had been hard on her… and he felt like a bastard for it. He rummaged in his saddlebag for a bite to eat, then walked over to her, just standing there, swaying slightly. "Here. Have a few bites and sit down. I'll do the rest." he ordered with a reassuring smile. She seemed to wake from her torpor, and looked from the proffered bread to his face and back. It took a while for her to understand what he had just said. "No… I want to help…" she muttered weakly and turned away to her horse.

Link had to smile at her resolve, even when she could barely stand from fatigue, but he was having none of it. He gently grabbed her shoulder and turned her back. He gave her a gentle kiss on her unresisting lips. "You have done quite enough, Zelda. I'm really sorry that I had to push you so hard, but you've proven admirably resilient. I'm proud of you. But now you've earned your rest thrice over." he assured her softly and cupped her cheek with his hand. "Let me do the rest, hm?"

She closed her eyes and, leaning her head against his caressing hand, smiled softly. Then she nodded.

Reluctantly he let go of her and spread out Zelda's blanket before he went to unsaddle the dutiful horses. He fed them, bound their reins to a nearby tree, then carried the saddlebags and rucksacks close to the meagre camp, before grabbing a bite for himself and spreading his own mat, close to her. She had laid down, but kept watching him as he worked. Apparently she was determined not to sleep until he too could finally relax… 'Adorable little fool…' Link thought, feeling so much sudden affection that he had to stop himself from cuddling up to her immediately. But since he didn't know whether she actually wanted anything like that, he had placed his sleeping place with a carefully measured safety gap of about 30 centimetres… so she wouldn't have to feel uncomfortably beset, just in case…

He placed a torch he had brought next to his shield to his right, together with a matchstick, in case he had to create light in a hurry. Then he took her rapier and placed it next to her mat. Lastly he grabbed his sword and lay down with it, ready to draw, should the need arise.

Deadly weary, he looked around one last time. Had he forgotten anything? Did he feel like he was perfectly prepared?

No. But he doubted that he could do anything else at the moment. He took one last look at Zelda to his left. Sleep seemed to finally have overcome her, which was good. A gentle smile stole itself on his lips at her peaceful form. "Good night." he whispered before finally, blessedly, he could close his eyes.

…A nervous whinny yanked him from his slumber to alertness with startling force. He jumped up and drew his blade, taking in all his surroundings. Twilight had sunken over the forest, he couldn't have slept more than half an hour. The horses shuffled tensely and pulled at their reins. Zelda too had awoken, much to her credit, and was gazing around, fear stark on her features.

Link felt the hair in his neck stand on end and whipped around, all fatigue seemingly blasted away by alarm. For a moment, he saw nothing. Then, a sudden, hasty movement and he felt his guts turn to solid ice. A Bokoblin, well camouflaged against the brown undergrowth stared at them with its crude bow drawn taut. Its wide mouth twisted in a snarl and its light reflecting eyes wide in either bloodlust or fear, impossible to tell. His breath quickening, Link weighed his options. It was no more than ten metres away… even with so poor a weapon, it was unlikely to miss and it was impossible to reach it before it could loose. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Zelda reach slowly for her sword. The creature swivelled its aim around, away from him.

No no no… It's me you want, monster! I'm the dangerous one, focus on me! Shoot me!

He assumed a very aggressive stance, hoping to draw its attention back to him. It worked! It focused on him again with what sounded like a hysterical squeak.

Link wandered if it was possible to deflect an arrow with a sword… he actually suspected that he might be able to, though he sure as hell did not want to try. Nayru curse him for his stupidity! Why hadn't he also grabbed his shield? Bow it was too late!

It didn't matter, he thought grimly. With this measly bow, even if it hit, he would not be incapacitated enough… He would reach the fucking creature and slice it in half before he would even feel that he had been hit. Even if it would, in the end, turn out to be a deadly wound, Zelda would be safe…

He prepared both mind and body to strike as soon as the thing shot. All exhaustion temporarily dispelled from his muscles, he knew that, if the creature loosed, the best it could hope for was a quick death. It wouldn't even have time to drop its bow…

Each moment felt like an hour, locked in this deadly stalemate. Link wondered why it didn't shoot… what else had it come for? He felt reminded of this one night with Ricco and Marten when they had encountered the Boko close to Ord… how the tables had turned… back then he had been the one with the bow…

Wait…

The monster snarled, almost exasperated, and Link saw how its tense muscles almost imperceptibly relaxed. Slowly, but surely, it lowered its weapon and with a last snort, it turned and sprinted off through the underbrush.

Link couldn't believe what had just transpired and it took a good minute before he too allowed himself to release his tautness, even slightly.

Could it really be…? Had a Bokoblin just reciprocated the mercy he had given it months ago? Or had it come to the conclusion that it too would die, if it went through with its attack? He hadn't seen the one he had spared clearly… it had been night in a forest. He couldn't compare the tribal markings this one had had… But still… somehow, he was convinced that it was the same one, though he couldn't say why…

He looked and listened tensely for any other sign of movement around for another one or two minutes. Only when nothing happened, he relaxed his stance and breathed out slowly. He didn't have to die quite yet…

Zelda scrambled up and smashed into him, hugging him tightly. "Oh goddess! I thought it was going to shoot you for sure!" she whispered, hanging all her weight on him, for the sheer relief made her knees buckle. He too, now that he realize how close a brush with death that had been, felt his legs go rather wobbly. He hugged her back with his right and let both of them sink to the ground. She pulled him even closer to her and he only let her go for a second to sheathe his sword, and even that reluctantly. They sank down further, lying down tightly embraced. Both their fatigue now returned, their craving for sleep now imperative. Nothing else was said that night. The simply sank into slumber, safe in each other's arms.

* * *

It waited.

It hissed.

It clawed.

Hateful, rage-fuelled will hammered against the last seal, the ultimate barrier to his freedom, but it would not yield.

He was getting impatient… His agents weren't working fast enough. They weren't diligent enough. They weren't afeared enough.

The burning storm He would unleash would sear them, torture them, teach them…

His despicable adversaries, unified, only now started their journey… He could feel them walking over His earth… Only the last cursed seal stopped Him from grasping them and letting his power burn the flesh off their bones.

It grinned.

It waited.

It lusted.

Soon He would see their failings, hear their tortured moans, feel their anguish once more.

Each thought scorched the damnable light a little more, each breath sent His dark corruption loose upon the world, each tiny flick of his finger sent it closer to tumbling into the fiery hell of His making.

So close…

But not yet free!

It smoldered.

It growled.

It raged.

With a hate-filled scream He cursed all creation, cursed the goddesses, cursed his adversaries.

He screamed.

And the world shook in terror.


	33. Chapter 32

**To be honest, I'm not quite sure if I completely like this chapter… On this one in particular, I would be very thankful for feedback. If you don't want to review, just send a PM, however you like!**

 **Still: Enjoy!**

Chapter 32

Zelda

She opened her eyes somewhere in the early hours of morn. She felt wonderfully warm and safe, like rarely before… Zelda immediately knew where she was, which, honestly, surprised her… In the middle of a forest, dangerously close to a man wasn't a situation that she had much experience with… yet still, this felt more familiar, more at home than her chambers in the castle could ever hope to. He still had his arm around her, bestowing solace and protection. In the nascent rays on sunlight, if she looked up just slightly, she could see his sleeping, beautiful face, so tantalizingly close to her own. She felt a drowsy, but nigh irresistible urge to shower it with kisses, softly at first, so he would gently wake by her ministrations, then fiercer, so he would return the favour and… maybe more…

After an agonizing moment she decided against it. She would have to stir, move closer to him, which would no doubt rouse him… and he seemed so peaceful, she didn't want that. Instead she closed her eyes once more and immediately felt herself sink back into slumber, carried by his strong arms.

* * *

They were startled awake by a shaking of the earth. Zelda gasped as she felt herself being violently tossed back and forth. She grabbed quick handfuls of Link's clothes, fearing in her half sleeping state that she might get battered off the face of the earth if she didn't hold fast. She felt him strain to keep both of them as still as possible while the ground beneath them tried to tear them this way and that. She shut her eyes tightly, trying to control her fear, while she heard the panicked whinnying of the horses.

Then, as soon as it had started, it was over. The ground was still, the earth quiet once more.

Link looked around in apparent haste, not yet willing to let her go, which right now was fine by her. Her heart still hammered in her chest as if it was trying to escape away. Slowly, as his breathing calmed, so did she, thought that only gave room for her now abused side and back to make their complaints felt.

"Are you alright?" he asked, sweet but urgent concern in his voice.

She nodded, working her shoulder that seemed to have taken the worst of it. He looked at it, the worry in his eyes increasing to pitiable levels before she smiled. "It's fine, Link. A bit battered at the worst." she assured him. After a second he nodded, some of his worries alleviated.

She had to admit, she rather liked how he fretted about her well-being, because it was genuine. He cared… it wasn't just his job to keep her safe, he truly cared! And even though she wanted to be strong, a traitorous part of her also really wanted to be coddled by him… was that so wrong?

To her disappointment, he now finally removed his arm from her shoulders. She was almost tempted to pull him back, but they had to check on the horses, so she followed his lead and stood up. Or at least she tried to… The muscles in her legs seemed to have other plans… plans that apparently involved feather-beds and immobility for a few weeks.

She looked at her protector and made a disgruntled face. How, by Din's fire, could he just jump up like this after the torturous forced march he had put them through yesterday? She had feared that her limbs might ache today, but this? They hardly even listened to any command!

Alright, you slackers! We will not look like a limp Riversnail, wriggling helplessly on dry land in front of him. So. Get. Up!

Slowly, deliberately, she put her muscles in motion, one after another, until she finally was close to what could be considered upright. Feeling like a babe that had just made its fist little steps, she walked stiffly over to where he was checking on their mounts. Thankfully they seemed to be unharmed by the quake, though they still seemed skittish.

"Too bad… I had hoped I would get to carry you to your horse…" he suddenly said, grinning at her over his shoulder.

She made a slightly pouty face. Damn. Nothing escaped those sharp senses of his. "One would think that a whole night with me in your arms would be enough for you…" she purred, an impish smile stealing on her lips.

He turned and gave her one of his ravishing, playful smiles. "A whole lifetime with you in my arms wouldn't be enough." he cooed back.

Zelda felt herself flush furiously. How does he keep doing that?! And why does such a corny line have such an effect on me, damn it all?! At least he too reddened a bit at seeing her reaction.

"Making my knees weak right now is not the best idea…" she mumbled.

Thankfully, he changed the subject… probably because he too was now red as a spicy pepper. "If you are ok with it, I would like to continue as quickly as possible. Between nightly Bokoblin and morning earthquake, this spot is quickly losing my confidence…" he uttered.

She gave a soft snort of a laugh and nodded. She stepped closer to Celeste and caressed her nose and cheek. "I hope you will have some mercy today… for the horses, naturally." she said with slight self-mockery.

"Sure." he answered levelly. "We don't have to ride, if you don't want to. We can just walk the same distance. We could also carry the bags… and as a last resort, you can simply carry me, if my legs give out."

"Certainly. The frail and weak of will shall always find a place in my arms. Though I am not above throwing away unwanted ballast, no matter how much it cries." she countered equally dryly while she assisted Link in saddling first Janna, then Celeste.

Once that was done he reaffixed the saddlebags while Zelda rolled up the blankets and stowed them away. Her own hadn't been used tonight anyway, she remembered with a cautious smile. That had not, strictly speaking, been planned, though, she had to admit, waking in his arms had possibly been one of the sweetest moments she could recall. She could get used to that… Apart from the minor detail called 'massive earthquake', it had been an excellent morning… She almost wanted to simply sit down and, at least for a little while, bask in his warmth that still lingered on her… just like his wonderful scent…

"In all seriousness, though. How much travel will you put us through today?" she asked as she opened her braid and shook out her golden hair. When he didn't answer, she looked up in the middle of combing through it with her fingers. He was just watching her, apparently mesmerized. She had to suppress a grin at his slightly gormless but nonetheless adorable stare. "Weeeell?" she prompted.

He seemed snap out of his trance, but only partially. "Far less than yesterday. We travelled almost two days' worth already. So we can gentle our pace a little." he mumbled while observing her every move.

She was certainly not opposed to having his full attention on her, it made her something in her belly tingle pleasantly, but still, she felt her cheeks grow warm. "You do know that you are staring, right, my good sir knight?" she asked.

He simply nodded. "Purposefully and unabashedly." he added.

She couldn't help but grin at this moonstruck fool as she fixed her hair in a ponytail. She walked over to Celeste and, now with her muscles reacquainted to movement, swung herself into the saddle. "Shall we?" she chirped down at him, who was still standing there, entranced.

"Err… quite." he muttered and nodded. He pulled himself into the saddle and cast one last look over their 'camp', no doubt making sure that they hadn't forgotten anything. She only now noticed how ruffled his hair at the back of his hair was and had to smirk. It looked almost like the tail feathers of a cucco. It looked rather cute, but she knew that would drive her crazy if she had to spend the whole day looking at it when she was riding behind him. Zelda expertly got her horse to sidestep closer to him and, before he could resist, flattened the errant dark blonde strands down. An excellent excuse to comb her fingers through his hair, something that she loved doing for some reason.

He looked at her out of the corner of his eye with a questioning grin. "Spontaneous caressing? Are you planning something naughty?" he asked playfully.

Now she did! She kept her face deliberately plain. "Oh, you know… just had something icky on my fingers and needed to wipe them…"

Reflexively, he yanked his hand to the back of his head with a worried expression before he caught on to her little ruse. He glared at her in mock sulkiness. "You little imp! I hope you're not hungry because you're not getting anything!" he threatened.

As if on cue, her stomach produced a rather embarrassing and surprisingly loud grumble. It was a wonder the horse didn't panic, thinking a bear might have taken her place in the saddle.

"Now, that very eloquently answers that riddle!" Link exclaimed, delighted. "Well, too bad!" he called and stirred Janna into motion. The sudden void-like hole in her belly combined with the food hastily escaping denied her brain any thought or dignity.

"Wait!" she yelled and spurred Celeste to trot after him. She heard him laugh in malicious glee and just had to join in as she hunted after him.

He produced what looked like a sausage and, it heroically held aloft, he rode on. "Behold my mighty sword! Never shall the wicked witch at my heels lay her spindly fingers on it!" he shouted, waving the wobbling sausage around like a maniac. Zelda nearly lost her balance from laughing at the incomparably ridiculous sight. This might be the most stupid thing imaginable and she loved it!

"All shall perish that stand between me and my sustenance!" she screamed, making her voice high and screechy. She caught up to him and, her hands overstretched as claws, reached for the delicious prize.

"No! Mercy! I am undone! My trusty weapon is wrenched from my traitorous hands! How shall the hero overcome this mightiest of evils?!" he wailed as he proffered the sausage towards her while burying his face in his elbow dramatically.

She snatched it from his fingers and took a generous bite before he could come up with any more of his monkey business. As the horses slowed down, and the first hungry information about heavenly taste reached her brain, she spoke, her mouth full. "Finawwy! The coveted morsel is mime!" And before she swallowed she took another bite, so overpowering was her greed at the moment.

Link watched her with great amusement. "I love how, at the first sight of something edible, years of etiquette training go flying out the window with you." he chuckled.

She snorted and, finally, swallowed. She loved the strong, meaty taste… another culinary foray that would never have been possible within castle walls. There, everything had to taste delicate, smooth, inoffensive… if you have nothing to compare it with, fine. But now, with strong, interesting flavours like this simple travel salami open to her, it all seemed so dreadfully boring.

She drew herself back from flavour-heaven to answer his little jibe. "If you ever had to endure a state banquet, with tables bending to the breaking point with delicacies in front of you, and you, as princess, were expected to at best graciously nibble on one or two little morsels over the course of _hours_ , you would understand. Besides, with that diabolic corset I couldn't have eaten more anyway, bloody ridiculous contraption!" she fumed at the memory of all the missed culinary opportunities and the nearly breathless discomfort she had had to endure.

Link looked at her with open-mouthed disbelief, glanced demonstratively at her belly and back. "Why in Din's hellfire would _you_ wear a corset?!" he asked, hilariously distressed.

She actually had to giggle at the appalled face he was making. "So I can look as if a Hinox had picked me up and squeezed, naturally. Or maybe…" she added conspiratorially. "Maybe I am wearing one right now… maybe I've always worn one to hide my true girth!" She breathed in sharply and opened her eyes wide in mock surprise and put her hand over her mouth. "Maybe I really am enormously fat!" she whispered and took another slow and deliberately huge bite from the sausage while staring fixedly into his eyes.

Link exploded in laughter, so much so that Janna actually got a fright and whinnied. Zelda grinned happily as he desperately tried to regain his balance while his body contorted in helpless giggles. 'Yes! Got him!' she thought, pleased with herself. He had brought so many wonderful laughing fits to her life already, she loved that she could return the favour.

They rode a while, she quietly grinning to herself while he tried to get his bearing back. He wiped the tears out of his eyes and held his stomach. "Ow… and that on an empty stomach. You really are an evil witch, aren't you?" he moaned while grabbing something for himself.

She chuckled wryly. "You may find that many girls become evil when they are denied food. You may want to remember that, Sausage Knight!" she warned, and had to suppress a giggle when he indeed had another sausage between his lips and looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "I shall remember it well, my Dumpling Princess." he said softly.

They travelled silently for a while, always closely side-by-side, and continued their breakfast. As they had skipped dinner yesterday because, in the end, they had basically just collapsed from exhaustion, it took quite a while for them to fill their stomachs to a level where it wasn't complaining.

Once the need for sustenance was no longer occupying every last thought of her brain, Zelda had another concern… probably brought on by the sudden work her digestive system had to do. And now that this matter had her full attention, the urge grew rather uncomfortably fast.

They had, of course, stopped before to do their business, but… Nayru's mercy, this was still dreadfully embarrassing! And until now it had always been him who had called a pause, which she had been able to use. It was stupid, she knew, but asking to stop herself was just… distressing.

But so was the situation right now…

"Err… Link? I have to stop for a moment…" she muttered lowly and felt her ears grow hot. Stupid!

Thankfully he understood immediately, halted his horse, got off and, his cheeks also having a shimmer of pink, handed her the coarse paper that had been wrapped around their food, which he had cleverly kept.

"Do you need some water?" he mumbled, purposefully avoiding to look at her face.

"Please…" she whispered. He handed her a small waterskin and she, rather undignified, had to step briskly away. Whoever created these bodily functions had clearly been a sadistic creep, she thought, looking for a decent spot. How far away should she go? To the other end of the world couldn't be far enough right now. 'It's a natural thing. He does it too.' a reasonable voice reminded her. 'Doesn't bloody matter!' the far more potent part of her answered. 'It was bad enough doing it with maids waiting on you, but with him?! I'd rather die!'

She finally found a place that was well out of sight, hastily undid her belt and went about her business. She nearly fell over, trying to secure hair, clothes, balance and, most importantly, out-of-sightness…

When she was finally relieved she had to shake her head and stifle a laugh at the whole situation. Well, what the hell had she expected? Outhouses at periodic intervals?

These are the details that, strangely, slip one's attention when planning such an endeavour. Details that don't even cross one's mind as they are seemingly unimportant… idiotic, when obviously these are the things which occasionally matter very, _very_ much…

She granted herself a sigh of easement. She readjusted her blessedly still clean clothes… thankfully none of the nightmare scenarios of utter nightmarish nightmareness that her mind had concocted had come to pass.

Zelda used a little bit of water to wash her hands, but it couldn't quite satisfy her desire for cleanliness. She walked back and found a still slightly shamefaced looking Link, gazing purposefully in another direction.

How completely absurd it all was! Of all the things they might have to do on their quest, defy death, save the world… and this is what causes both of them distress! Hylian minds are ludicrous in their thinking…

He finally looked at her. "I'll go too." he mumbled and took the water from her. Zelda frowned, slightly surprised. "Why didn't you?"

"Because I don't want both of us to be caught with our pants down!" he called back to her while he vanished in the bushes.

If they hadn't just encountered a Bokoblin yesterday, she might have laughed at that… That whole situation had been so utterly surreal, she still wasn't a hundred percent sure that it hadn't been a figment of her overwrought mind.

…no, it had definitely been real. An echo of the fear she had felt when the thing had aimed at Link rose through her body and squeezed her heart. Dear goddess, what would she have done? Would she have had the courage to jump up and face the beast if he couldn't? What would she have done if he had been hurt? She had read up heavily on basic medical knowledge, but to treat an arrow wound…? So many panicked thoughts had raced through her mind, but then…

Then the monster had just left… This boggled her mind to no end. That thing's reaction was so completely unexpected, so unreal, that she hadn't even been able to think about it until just now… her brain had almost negated that this had happened, so confusing was it all. She would have to discuss this with Link, maybe he had some insight in Bokoblin behaviour…

He returned shortly afterwards. They both got back in the saddle and, still avoiding each other's looks awkwardly, moved on.

She heard something soft and heavy fall to the ground behind her. Turning around slightly she saw that Celeste had raised her tail and was unabashedly relieving herself to her heart's content. She had to stifle an inappropriate giggle. How easy it all could be, if only (relative) intelligence didn't get in the way…

* * *

It was getting hot… While it was probably cooler here, under the canopy of the forest, the air was also more moist. Her clothes stuck uncomfortably to her back and she felt more and more sweaty. Zelda did not necessarily object to being unclean, she did, however, have a strong opinion on people that smelled… She waited for a moment when Link was looking the other way and furtively sniffed at her armpit. It wasn't too bad, but she still couldn't suppress a slight wrinkle on her nose. So: not good.

She looked back at him, hoping that he hadn't caught her somewhat embarrassing manoeuvre. He clothes clung to him too, he had a slight sheen of sweat on his brow and his already slightly messy hair looked heavy. On him, of course, all this looked absolutely breathtakingly good! How unfair was that? She felt desire simmering up inside her as she watched his, by now, elegant riding while he looked so… appetizing. Before her mind's eye she imagined herself ruffle his damp hair, then tracing her hands down to his nude, muscular chest while kissing his sweaty face. And her hands travelled ever lower…

With a jolt she awoke from her fantasy and instantly turned red as a beet. Holy Trinity, where had that suddenly come from? Was it the heat? Or that he inexplicably looked so amazing? …or maybe it was just her ever increasing desire, which she had yet to fully admit to herself?

…..whatever it was, it had been… potent. She looked down upon herself and frowned. She had rather looked forward to, well, repeat how they had fallen asleep yesterday… trapped in his warm embrace but with her in this sorry state, she wasn't sure whether she could allow herself to lie in his arms… what if she smelled rancid to him? Goddess, the thought was so terrible in her mind, she couldn't even entertain it for more than a second. Something had to be done, or there would be no cuddles… and damn it all, she wanted some.

"Say, knight of all that is sausage…" she began carefully, thinking of how to word her request.

He stirred from his contemplative silence immediately. "Yes, your majesty of dumplinghood?" he prompted.

"How does… err… how would one wash while travelling as we are?" she asked.

His eyes widened in shock and she immediately understood why. He must think that she thought him foul! Goodness, no! "No! No no no, Link, that's not what I meant! Truly!" she stammered, cursing herself for her lack of insight. She knew how adorably self-conscious he could be… if she felt uneasy with herself in this heat, undoubtedly so would he! "You're fine. It's… me…" she pressed out before she could think of anything less embarrassing, and felt her face grow warm.

He gave a brief laugh, more of a relieved exhalation. "Well… one doesn't. Our drinking water is too valuable for that. And…" he hesitated and, to her surprise, blushed furiously. "…and I simply deny the possibility that your scent can be anything but wonderful…"

Zelda looked at his red, honest face and felt herself flush in kind. As dumb as it was, her heart fluttered at the cute, helpless attempt at comforting her… it was such a bumbling attempt… and she loved it with every fibre and couldn't get enough…

"I on the other hand…" he continued while making a face. "But, I am afraid this is something that one has to get used to… However, today we are in luck. Right now its midday… if I'm not completely wrong, we should cross a little stream in a couple of hours… I distinctly remember it from when we travelled to Hyrule city for the relief it brought… believe me, compared to Ricco and Sir Russel, you cannot possibly offer anything even remotely as intense…" he babbled, still profoundly shamefaced.

Zelda gazed at her embarrassed knight and, with him looking so utterly cute, felt that persistently present desire boil up once more. This time she had to forcefully quell it, or she might have pulled him from his saddle right then and there and… and what? She knew how it was done, she just didn't know _how_ it was done! Damn this heat, it was making her stupid! But she knew that it wasn't just the air's heat that made her feel this way…

He mentioned water… a stream, she recollected faintly, before her hormones had taken over. Think of that, she ordered herself. Cool, refreshing water… it better be ice-cold, or else…

"A couple of hours?" she asked hoarsely, to get her attention away from… that. He nodded, his face still looking flushed, almost as if… Could she dare hope that he thought the same thing? Or was she just… perverted?

"Aye, three at max. We can't miss it in any case, we have to cross it. I thought, maybe, we can make camp there for today, reward ourselves for yesterday. We will still have travelled about six hours…" he muttered.

Zelda had to smile. "That does sound perfect…" she agreed.

They were silent for a while, both trying to control the confusing vortex of emotions in their heads.

Then, she remembered last night's unwanted visitor. "Say… what do you make of that odd Bokoblin yesterday evening?" she asked, hoping it would get her mind away from his… everything.

He took a moment to think. "You refer to its sudden 'mercy', I assume?" he wanted to know.

She nodded. "Yes, I have never heard of such behaviour. Bokoblin not attacking when they are hopelessly outnumbered, sure! But one of them choosing to go back on its assault and retreat…" she trailed off, still utterly confused by this.

Another few moments of pondering from him. "There are two possibilities for why it just ran off without actually attacking…" he began, and fell silent once more.

Zelda waited patiently for him to finish his thought. "One, it understood that the risk was too high. If it had attacked, it would have perished." he explained, his voice grave.

She furrowed her brow. "But… if it had shot its arrow…" she broke off, not really wanting to finish that thought, or visualize what it would look like…

"Even if it had hit me, which is not certain, I would have still reached it in an instant." he told her calmly. "Even if it had hit my heart, the few seconds remaining to me would have been enough to end it too." he said, and despite the utter horribleness of the images his words conjured, she believed him. He turned towards her and smiled sombrely. "You don't die instantly from an arrow. You hardly ever die instantly…" he muttered. She saw the sense in his words, but it was grim and depressing. She didn't want to think about it further. "And the second possibility?" she asked.

He took a deep breath, trying to wrest himself out of the dark mood, she knew. "I mentioned how we encountered a Boko in the woods near Ord, didn't I? Well… I had my bow and held it in check. But I didn't shoot. It was alone and it had no chance… so I spared it. It fled into the underbrush…" he recounted, then fell silent.

She understood what he was saying… it even made sense to her, although the concept of one of these monsters reciprocating the mercy it had received was so altogether new a concept, that she had difficulty wrapping her head around it. "You believe it was the same one?" she asked softly, sensing how he too struggled with the idea.

Link nodded, deep in thought. "Somehow, I know that it was. I know that this is the explanation… but it defies almost everything I ever thought I knew about these beasts…" he grumbled.

Zelda took a moment to think. Bokoblin were considered nearly mindless… a predator that did not fear Hylians, like animals did. They hunted in packs, mostly, similar to wolves, but their penchant for senseless violence and slaughter separated them clearly from the far more noble canines. Still… they employed tools, crude ones, yes, but nevertheless… they erected primitive huts and they could harness fire… for one to understand mercy was… plausible, she felt.

"Maybe, even in these times, it doesn't have to be kill or be killed…" she offered thoughtfully. He didn't answer. He just rode on, looking down ponderously.

* * *

Two and a half hours later Zelda could hear the soft murmur of a gentle stream, just as Link had promised. They followed it eastwards for about ten minutes before they found a good, shallow spot to cross it. They got off to lead their horses to the other side and she was a little surprised that Janna trusted Link enough already that she let herself be guided without objection. She followed, and while she had no trouble with Celeste, the cold water that, unavoidably, nipped at her feet made her hiss.

Once there, she looked around and had to smile. The trees stood a little sparser here… large areas of sunlight broke through the canopy, but it felt cool nonetheless. The stream, its gently waving surface glittering as if made of diamonds, bestowed the place a delightful crispness after the humid heat of the woods. The rivulet's banks were a vibrant, lush cascade of mosses and ferns in emerald colours…

Zelda had already fallen in love with this place, with its earthy, fresh smell and the lulling song of playful water. "It's so wonderful here…" she breathed, closing her eyes to let her other senses take over.

"Sure is…" Link mumbled.

She looked at him, concern stealing on her features. He had barely said a word since their earlier discussion… had just looked ahead, staring at nothing with a slight frown on his face. Obviously, something was bothering him quite a bit, but… frankly, she didn't really know what to do. Wait for him to find a way to work it out? Or should she ask him directly? As it was, he seemed to be so absent… there were so many things that might trouble him on their voyage, she simply couldn't be sure what it was that occupied his thoughts so completely. Should she just burst into his pondering? How did men react when they were offered help? As silly as that would be, she didn't want to wound his pride by doing anything he might consider overprotective. Then again, she also didn't want him to think that she didn't notice his inner battle, or infinitely worse, that she didn't care. She didn't want him to feel alone… she knew how that felt all too well…

She took a deep breath. As dumb as it was, she had to scrape together a considerable amount of courage to ask him. "Link?" she asked softly.

"Hmm?" he hummed and, for the first time in hours, looked at her.

"Is… is everything alright?" she questioned. Nayru's wisdom, that sounded so stupid! Of course it wasn't! She wouldn't be surprised if he turned away in a huff after so mindless a question.

Instead he smiled, but… she could tell there was no real mirth behind it. "It's okay. It's just… a lot to think about." he answered absolutely nothing.

He didn't want to talk about it and she accepted that… for now. Though she promised herself that, if his mood didn't clear up by evening, she would ask again. Even if she had to be pesky, something she had learned quite well from a certain cousin of hers, she would at least determine whether she could help him, or not. Saria had always pestered her when she herself had been in a dark mood, sometimes even going so far as to physically poke her until she finally spilled her thoughts. And, strangely, it had always felt better afterwards, when she had put all those muddled, circling thoughts into words.

For now, she nodded, though with a hint of disbelief deliberately put on her face. "We will stay here then?"

"We will." he confirmed while relieving Janna of the saddle. "I will gather firewood. I'll stay away from the water in case you… you know…" he muttered, his mind clearly wresting him back into whatever dark vortex it had in store for him.

Zelda made a face. She had to admit, she had gotten rather used to his near constant, sweet attention… and now that he was so occupied with himself, she felt shut out, which disgruntled her. Oh well… maybe he really _does_ need to be alone for a while… maybe her presence _was_ disrupting his thinking… He certainly had the power to turn her brain to mush when he looked at her just right… or sometimes even when she just looked at him…

Fine. But she would certainly not just toddle off and leave all the work to him. She undid the clasps of Celeste's saddle and heaved it off. Damn, that stuff was heavy! She barely managed to lift it away from her horse's back and let it sink to the ground rather undignified. She could sense behind her that he had taken a few steps to help her, but had halted when she had already managed it herself. 'Hah! Too late, mister chivalrous…' she thought to herself. Without a glance for him, she led both Celeste and Janna to the stream and let them drink while she rubbed them down vigorously. When she had fixed their reins to a tree she took her mat and spread it on the ground. Link was already out of sight, but not out of earshot.

Now then! She grabbed her generous lump of soap, went back to the water and picked a particularly sight-proof spot. Zelda took another moment to gaze over the glittering surface of the gently twisting rivulet, its crystal clear water embedded in many-hued mossy rocks and earth. She loved the sight, though she couldn't fully enjoy nature's splendour right now.

Damn it all, I'm going to bathe in a marvellous stream and I'm going to enjoy it! She took a reflexive glance over her shoulder. She knew that he wouldn't do that. She trusted him completely in this regard… which was in itself a bit odd because… she didn't know if she would trust herself not to take a harmless little peek…

Get him out of your mind and enjoy the bath!

She removed her soft, leather boots and socks and shivered slightly when she dipped a questing toe into the water. She wasn't used to water this cold… even in summer her bath-water was usually heated to lukewarm. Still, she was definitely looking forward to this, even though she might squeal like a little girl. 'That might disturb his thoughts again' a tiny but insistent voice stated.

Goddess damn it, can't I just enjoy myself?! Not everything has to be about him, brain!

Almost as if to prove a point, she unbuttoned her blouse, yanked it off, then cast off her trousers.

'You are now almost naked with Link less than ten metres away' the little voice supplied helpfully. Zelda wanted to strangle it.

Why? Why can't you leave me alone?

'Because you're trying to amuse yourself while he is in pain.'

Don't be so melodramatic! He's not in pain, he's thinking!

'You have seen his face. Whatever he is thinking about, it bothers him greatly.'

But why does this mean I can't have this moment? Why do his ponderings have to become my own?

'Is this not what you want? To share as many moments with him as you can? Or do you just pick the good ones, and leave the difficult ones for him to deal with?'

No! That's not fair!

'Quite! So gather up some backbone, help him as you would want to be helped, and then you can go and take a bath together.'

Wait what?

'Also, you're talking to yourself. Good job,'

Zelda felt like a right dolt, standing in her undies at the riverbank, staring into nothing while having a discussion with herself. The princess of Hyrule, lords and ladies!

She gazed at the invitingly flowing water again. A vexed frown grew on her face.

"Din's hellfire!" she mumbled under her breath as she reluctantly put her trousers back on.

She was mostly angry at herself for being so, so… considerate. It sounded like a curse word in her mind right now. She would get him to talk already, then jolly well have some fun, damn it! She put on her blouse again, fumbling with the buttons and , irritated, left the top one open when it refused to find its hole. She didn't even bother with her socks or boots. Turning her back to the beckoning stream, she stormed back to the camp.

All her anger instantly withered back to concern when she saw him. His left was facing her. He sat on a rock in front of a pile of firewood, flint and steel dangling from his limp hands, his elbows leaning heavily on his knees. His face and particularly his eyes were so filled with helpless sorrow that it nearly took her breath.

He hadn't even noticed her, even though she had non-too-subtly stomped into camp. He was just staring ahead, seemingly lost in despair.

She swallowed and stepped closer. In her mind's eye she could almost see the black tendrils of forlornness rooting him to the ground, bending his back with artificial, malicious weight. She also felt the cocoon he threatened to build around himself to keep his thoughts from spreading to the outside, but… it would also trap him in this dark web of depression.

As she walked closer, she tried to both make her presence felt, so he wouldn't start, and to be as subtle as possible. He didn't even stir.

"Link?" she tried, her voice breathy.

He twitched and breathed in sharply. His big blue eyes darted around and looked at her in fright. Once he realized it was her, he closed his eyes and exhaled in relief.

"I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to startle you!" she exclaimed, shocked at how completely shut off he had been.

He shook his head. "It's not your fault…" he said and gave a pathetic excuse for a smile. At least to her it was so obviously fake that she had to swallow again. Goddess, she had to help him! He had already helped her overcome dark moods several times! And now he desperately needed someone to do the same! Farore's mercy, it stung her heart to see him like this, him, who had helped her so much. She rounded him and squatted down directly in front of him. She wordlessly took the flint and steel from his unresisting hands and noticed how distractedly surprised he looked that he had just uselessly held them. She then took both of his hands and squeezed gently. "Link… please tell me what is troubling you. Don't shut me out!" she pleaded, already fighting back tears, for which she hated herself. For once, he needs me to be the strong one and all I do is bloody cry!

His big, beautiful eyes studied her, so much sorrow and uncertainty in them that she felt a cold shiver on her back. It frightened her to see him so unsteady… what on earth was it that tormented him?

He looked away slightly. "I didn't want to bother you with it. You have enough resting on your shoulders as it is." He sighed deeply. "Some protector I am…"

Her face turned determined and she let go of his right hand to touch his cheek and softly push his gaze back to her. "Don't do this to yourself! You are not just a sword made of mindless matter! You too can require aid. And who will you allow to help you if not… me…" she finished softly, opening herself up completely and hoping to all Three that he wouldn't reject her. So much was implied in her gaze… please let him see it, let him feel it… She needed to burst his cocoon before it hardened and could no longer be broken…

For what seemed like a breathless eternity they looked at each other, she tentatively caressing his cheek. A brief, terrible moment she believed he would push her away, sever the connection… but to her unspeakable relief, she saw his eyes open up, saw a reflection of the emotions she had lade bare for him, even if they were hued in sadness.

He closed his eyes, swallowed and moved his head ever so slightly against her hand, as if to draw strength from her touch.

"This is so hard to put into words… I am so afraid that I say it wrong and you don't understand…" he mumbled.

Still put at ease that he had accepted her assistance, she squeezed his hand reassuringly. "I won't." she promised and felt certain, though she couldn't say why.

"It's something you said, although… I'm already saying it wrong…" he shook his head in exasperation.

She let go or him and stood up. "Scoot over! Let me sit next to you!" she ordered softly and he slowly obeyed. She sat down, so close that their bodies touched, reached over and grabbed his left with her left, because she needed her right to stroke the back of his head supportively. "Just speak freely…" she whispered as she gently scratched just above his neck. "If anything you say has a meaning that might offend me, I will believe that this is not what you meant. I promise."

He had to give a single, weak laugh at that. Something, at least. She could feel him arrange his thoughts before he started anew.

"It's something that has been somewhere on my mind since… the arena… buried, but festering in my subconscious." he began.

"Since the day you saved me?" she asked, not needing clarification, but wanting him to remember all the good he has done for her, trying to lift him up.

He nodded.

"And my words before have unburied it?" she prompted when he didn't continue.

Again, he nodded. "You said that maybe it doesn't have to be kill or be killed. For whatever reason that has pierced those encapsulated thoughts and… they've spilled forth so potently that I felt like I might drown in them. Goddess, I sound like some weak-willed wimp!" he spat and shook his head at himself, a disgusted expression on his face.

She grabbed a handful of his hair, just enough so it would sting only very, very slightly. "Stop it, you!" she warned. "That's nonsense and you know it! I'll throw you in the river and wash your head vigorously, if that's how to get that obviously wrong rubbish out!"

He chuckled softly and she relaxed her grip on his hair. "Maybe you should. I'd rather like that, I think…" he answered softly.

"Only after you've told me everything…" she said, a tiny wry smile on her lips now.

He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, then looked back straight ahead.

"What you said reminded me of our encounter with the Bokoblin. What I felt… what nearly happened... and it frightens me." he continued, obviously feeling ashamed, for which she wanted to pull his hair again, so stupid was it.

"Because of how close we were to being killed?" she asked, speaking bluntly because she hoped to quell her own fears by putting them in words.

Link snorted without a trace of humour and shook his head. "No, actually. Because of how close I was to killing again…" he muttered and his sad little smile turned to a pain filled grimace as he suddenly had to hold back his tears. He hid his face in his hand and breathed in sharply, quaveringly. She felt her own tears well up, hotly and in impotent compassion at seeing him like this. She squeezed his hand tighter and moved even closer, letting him feel even better that she was there.

"Please, please don't misunderstand! I know what I must do… and I do not, not in the least, regret saving you… please don't think that!" he whimpered and it nearly broke her heart.

"Shhh… I don't. Believe me, I don't." she soothed, her hand still caressing his neck, hoping her touch would make clear what her voice couldn't.

He took a few moments to regain his composure and a few more before he dared show his face to her again. She could still see water glistening in his eyes while her own tears flowed freely, having no hand free with which to wipe them away. They were needed elsewhere.

She now knew whence his despair had come and she felt like a heartless idiot for not realizing it sooner. Killing. Or course it troubled him greatly! And, the diabolically painful core of it all was that…

"It's all my fault…" she whispered without having meant to.

"No!" he exclaimed. For the first time he looked at her squarely in the face, his expression of utter shock startling her. " _No_! Don't, even for an instant, believe that I am accusing you! You are not responsible! You are the victim!" he reinforced thrice over. She, some part of her at least, knew that she wasn't to blame… but for an instant the pitiless fear that he might hold her responsible had crushed down on her and had nearly ground her to dust. His face, however, showed so much honest shock at the mere implication, that, mercifully, she was able to believe him. Still… it was her that he protected… her whom he had to kill for… the so desired relief wouldn't quite come, because of that knowledge…

He still looked at her with those terrified eyes, pleading for her to understand. She nodded and felt a new wave of tears threaten to erupt, which she suppressed by fiercely biting the inside of her cheek. She would not allow him to console her. Not this time. Right now, it was her duty to comfort him and she'd be damned if she failed at doing even that!

He looked relieved, thank the goddess. His head turned back to stare into the unknown and she resumed her gentle caresses.

After a few breaths, he continued, now that she had blessedly managed to open the floodgates. "Remember every swing I had to do… I have killed… fourteen? I'm not even completely sure… Shouldn't I be? I have killed them, ended their lives… should I not at least know how many lives I have taken? These weren't just mindless monsters. Enemies, despicable wretches, yes, but… someone's friends perhaps… someone's sons or, Farore's mercy, someone's daughter… or lover… I could feel their fear, their horror and pain as I cut through their ranks… And I see why… That dreadful… foul… ice-cold flame that seemed to engulf me, gave me strength but also turned me… merciless… cold… I've seen his face, Zelda… the last assassin the day before yesterday. You have wounded him, he was barely a threat to anyone… least of all to me… and I snuffed his life with no conscience, no hesitation… I've seen his face when his mask came off as he fell. That lifeless stare, terror and pain forever frozen on his features. He looked so normal… no monster in the night, just… Hylian… like anyone you might find on the streets… Those unblinking, horrible eyes…"

He shuddered violently and stopped talking.

Zelda looked at his pained features silently for a while. She had let him speak, get everything out… now she needed to say something… anything. "What can I do to help you? I so much want to help you…" she whispered, her eyes threatening to become wet once again.

He thought for a long moment. "I don't know. I know what I have to do and I won't falter. And, again, I have no regrets about saving you, even if that is the cost. But…" he looked to the heavens and shook his head, his lip quivering. "I don't want to keep taking lives. I just don't, Zelda… And I don't know… is that wrong? They have proven to be merciless murderers, bent only on death. And still, I don't wish to end them, even if I must. Is this a weakness? What if it's a weakness that costs… you?" he asked, his voice trembling slightly.

Zelda did not need to think very long for her answer. "I don't know what I would think of you if you enjoyed it. I would probably be deeply disgusted. That you don't, that you resist such baser instincts only tells me that you are the right man to protect me and… you have even risen considerably in my regard." she assured him, her voice strong now. "It is not a weakness. Absolutely not! If we had to stoop to the same evil ways as the Threat and its agents to save this world, then maybe it is not worth saving. I will not allow you to become the very thing we fight. And I expect the same kind of control from you over me, understood?" she pronounced, her voice deliberately regal to show him how perfectly serious she was being.

He turned to face her, his expression a strange mix of emotions. Relief, sincerity, surprise… thankfulness… He nodded earnestly, then smiled slightly and, blessedly, it seemed genuine once more. Seeing it on his handsome face made her immediately smile back. Apparently she had done it… had saved him from this ever downwards pulling, dark bog of fear and doubt that she knew so well herself. Zelda felt so relieved that she abruptly rose and hugged his head to her chest, hoping that he felt all the trust, affection and protectiveness she conveyed with this gesture. She realized that she hugged him like a mother would her child, but… why not? Wasn't that too needed occasionally? She placed her lips on the top of his head and kissed him for a long while. Slowly but surely, his initial rigidity at her embrace softened and he relaxed in her arms. Her strong knight, her stalwart protector, melting into putty at her touch…

"And the next time something eats away at your soul like this, you tell me right away, or I swear I _will_ hold you underwater until all that nonsense is washed away!" she purred lovingly and looked to the side so she could see his face. He nodded, his eyes closed in apparent comfort. Or, she later reflected, because due to her not closing all buttons properly, he would have had a perfect view at a lot of her chest and bra… oh well…

* * *

They didn't end up bathing together, the mood was still to sombre for any such extravagancies. But, at least, it was once again peaceful. They didn't talk much for the remainder of the day. What else could be said after all that? Zelda knew that she couldn't 'solve' this grave trouble of his. She also knew that she need not worry about him faltering. She would simply have to find ways to ease his pain while hoping that maybe, now that they were out of the capital, less attacks would occur. For now, that's all there was to do. She did have her bath, naturally, huffing and puffing as the cold water caressed every inch of her body. The rather smutty part of her mind wished for a vaguely Link-shaped source of warmth to be with her, but she ignored it for now.

When she returned, feeling fresh and alive, she found, to her amusement, that Link had once again spread his blanket at a 'safe' distance from hers. She nearly had to giggle at her shy knight. Well, actions speak louder than words!

He was currently kindling their little campfire when she sat down on her mat and cleared her throat loudly.

He turned, with a slightly confused look. Zelda then proceeded to reach over to grab his blanket and, pointedly, pulled it closer until their two sleeping-places became one. She then looked at him with an innocent, eyebrow-raised look, wordlessly asking whether he had any objections to this new arrangement.

As expected, he hadn't. To her delight, a flicker of his impish smile returned to his face before he, turning beet-red, returned his attention to the growing flames. She waddled over to him on her knees and gently hugged him from behind, resting her chin on his strong shoulder. He gave a soft, pleased hum.

Zelda closed her eyes and enjoyed the growing warmth of the fire on her face as she felt his hands cup hers across his chest.

Maybe tonight she wouldn't fall asleep in his arms… maybe, just tonight, he would slumber safely in hers… She decided that this, too, was perfectly wonderful…


	34. Chapter 33

Chapter 33

Link

He awoke softly, his senses being carried one by one back into consciousness. Firstly he heard the rustling of leaves in a light breeze, the steady murmur of the stream, the occasional tapping of a nearby woodpecker and, most enchantingly, the slow, steady breathing of the girl beside him.

Next came touch… the slightly rough mat under him, the cool morning air brushing against his skin and the heavy weight of her head resting on his outstretched arm…

His nose was tickled awake by Zelda's intoxicating scent, which threatened to send a part of his brain right back into dreaminess. Combined with the vaguely fresh smell of running water, he felt, as a whole, instantly invigorated and ready to take on the world. However, the world would have to wait a bit longer… the slow process of waking up next to her was simply too precious to interrupt.

Finally, he opened his eyes and felt himself smile almost instantly. As his other senses had foretold, there she was, her face only centimetres away from him, her body slightly rolled up and on the side, her left hand slightly outstretched and resting a few millimetres away from his chest, as if she had meant to touch it and fallen just short. 'Just as I left her…' he thought to himself, his smile widening. For a few seconds he watched the gentle rise and fall of her breathing, his own involuntarily synchronizing to it. What in all that is holy had he done to deserve this wonder?

He looked at her face again, her nobly curved eyebrows, those long eyebrows other women would kill for, her irresistibly cute nose, those sensual lips… goddess, her lips! They were open only the tiniest bit, as if by design, to invite him. If he thought about it, he still couldn't quite believe that it was him who got to explore these lips… it simply seemed too great a gift…

Link marvelled at her porcelain skin with those few tiny freckles around the base of her nose which he loved to no end. And still… every time he looked at her like that, he discovered something, a new, fascinating detail of her goddess-like face that took his breath away.

The thought of awakening her with a kiss crossed his mind and instantly left a giddy feeling in his gut. Could he do that? _Should_ he do that? Wouldn't that be too forward, maybe? The very last thing he wanted to do was for her to feel like he had betrayed her trust. It was a wonder to him that she already trusted him this far, that she would lie next to him during the night… _He_ knew that he wouldn't do anything dishonourable, not in a million years, but how could she know?

But she did… somehow, even though technically they knew each other only for a few days, really, both of them felt this strong sense of familiarity… both calming and invigorating… as if returning home after a long trip abroad…

Those lips… Link involuntarily bit his own… the longer he looked, the more his prudence was overtaken by desire. Would it really be such an intrusion? …well yes, it would. But so far, he had had a good nose for what he could get away with, right?

He was already leaning closer, slowly, his inner turmoil holding him back, when she chose just this moment to shift a little in her sleep. She sighed softly and moved her left arm back to her side, leaving unobstructed view of…

Link swallowed. She still hadn't buttoned up her top correctly… Farore's mercy, the shimmer of pink skin beckoning through the button row instantly quickened his heartbeat. He could see nothing, really, just a bit of her sternum, mostly covered by bra, and a tiny bit of the skin on her trim belly… but dear goddess, it was enough! His imagination was jump-started almost painfully. How little stood between him and her incredibly attractive body… just a few misaligned buttons… and his hands would be able to explore…

He pressed his eyes shut before any more such thoughts arose, but he might as well have tried to dam a river with a sheet of paper. Naturally, he had, on multiple occasions, noticed how utterly lovely her physique was… he shapely legs, her rounded hips, still slim, but also womanly, her slender waist and, of course, her bosom, not large, but also not too small… the perfect size to cup in my hands, he thought before he could stop it.

Oh dear… unbidden, as usual, a member of his bodily family stood rigidly to attention. And that little activity alerted him how full his bladder was… so that wasn't about to go away any time soon… shit!

Yesterday he probably would have had the same problem, he reflected, if that odd, but coincidentally rescuing earthquake hadn't happened. But now?

Holy horse, what if she woke up and saw him… bulging like that?! He didn't even want to think of that, so disastrous was the image alone! And he couldn't just skedaddle, she was lying on him! Shit, what should he do? _And he could still see her chest!_

The feeling in his nether region, and the lack of space in his trousers, became almost painful… but he didn't even dare to make a furtive little readjusting, because he knew that this would be the precise moment she would wake up, just out of spite… and then he'd die.

Naturally, this wasn't the first time such fantasies had… animated his libido and of course he knew how to take care of it. But not with her lying centimetres away, thrice damn it!

Somehow, almost like a memory, the thought that this little blonde imp had deliberately left her blouse so askew crept into his mind. There was no way someone like her hadn't noticed that all yesterday evening… For reasons that he couldn't quite suss out, he was almost sure that she had meant to torment him, the evil witch! Somehow, it felt like something she would do… innocent my foot! Link swallowed heavily. That realization, naturally, didn't help… on the contrary… it made matters down there even more… strained. He felt so hot, he wondered how he didn't melt… and the ground around him.

Alright, we need a dip in the stream. Fast. For the next hour! We might end up cooking all the fish within a ten metre radius, but I don't care.

Endlessly carefully, he lifted her head with his right hand, snuck out his left and substituted it with the bag he had used as pillow. He took a last quick glance to make sure she hadn't awoken and then he sprinted off. He quickly shed his clothes (apart from his underpants, just to be safe) and let himself fall into the relieving cold embrace of the water. It was shallow enough that, lying on his back, his face was still above the surface while he let the rivulet's icy caress wash around him. He closed his eyes and let out a long breath. Relief… sweet, sweet relief…

After about a minute of blissful thoughtlessness (the hotness however not nearly quenched) his mind returned to her. Good goddess, she drove him wild! And, apparently, with some deliberation behind it… but…

Could he go further? Should he? As spectacularly demonstrated, his body wanted to get right to it, but… did his mind? Did hers? What if it was still harmless teasing on her part? He didn't quite believe it… however, with his brain in its current state, he couldn't be sure that this wasn't just what he wanted to feel…

The problem was, he would probably wake up like this a lot during their travels, entangled with her in some way… and while this alone seemed heavenly, he wouldn't always have an ice cold stream handy to stop him from exploding. And he would… explode, that is… she was simply too ecstasizing for him to handle.

…so what if he didn't try to 'handle' it? What if he gave in and tried to go further? This was the farthest he had ever gotten with anyone, so he had no bloody idea _how_ one goes about going further. How does one know that the girl also wanted to take the next step? He couldn't help but imagine Zelda's indignant shock, if he had completely misread the situation. If that happened, he'd probably lose everything, every last speck of trust that she had placed in him. A terrible notion!

It seemed so… impossible, so far away… The thought of actually putting some of his raunchier desires into action, with her, this goddess made of perfection, seemed somehow wrong… sacrilegious, almost… What was he to do?

Gently kissing along her jaw, then down her neck as he opened the buttons on her blouse, one by one, showing first her collarbone, then…

No stop stop stop stop stop stop stop!... None of that! We've only just returned to normal!

Link felt as if today he had inadvertently opened a previously locked door to all these fantasies, and now the kept pouring out with such strength that he couldn't shut it again… this might complicate matters along the road…

He felt a splash of water against his face and he started up. He heard Zelda's gleeful laughter as his head darted around. When he had finally found where she stood, she smirked at him… almost as if she knew…

"Was the night a little too hot for your liking?" she asked, and he couldn't quite tell just how much she understood. He decided for the safe approach, even though a thousand playfully suggestive answers burned on his tongue.

"Between the fire and you, my dear source of heat, I felt like I was melting. Besides, there's nothing like a morning swim to start the day." Wait, that hadn't been nearly as harmless as he had wanted… Were his brain and his nether regions now conspiring against his common sense? 'Source of heat'… hopefully she didn't interpret that in the way he… totally had meant it… Thankfully his 'heat' had calmed down somewhat… and thankfully, with the water washing around his lower body, she could only clearly see the side of his torso.

If she understood, she took it in stride and just raised an eyebrow. "At least you had the presence of mind to leave your undergarment on." she purred, crossed her arms and leaned slightly forward. "Can you imagine? You lurking in wait, fully in the nude, until I 'happen' upon you? What audacious behaviour, sir knight."

It only now really occurred to him that he was, in fact, very nude, if not fully. He suppressed an urge to cover… something with his hands. That might have enticed a laughing fit out of her, and for good reason.

Wait, hang on! What had _she_ been thinking? "If you had the suspicion that I might be naked, why did you come here where you'd see?" he asked with an impish grin, knowing he had her. And before his brain could hit the emergency brakes, he added: "Did you want to take a glimpse at the sausage knight?"

And then he had a heart attack. He actually, physically, slapped his hand in front of his mouth with a loud, wet 'smack' and looked at Zelda with shock-widened eyes. Her eyes, too, widened and her cheeks and ears turned a fiery red. Her grin, however, faltered only briefly, then returned with a wry, almost naughty quality. "And what would you do if I said I did?" she asked, her voice just audible over the stream's murmur.

Holy shit, thank the Three thrice over that this girl had such good humour! Link was still stunned by his own stupidity that he had no idea how to answer that question. "Err… scream like a little girl? Could it be that you too need to cool off?" he asked, feeling completely out of his depth.

"Maaayyybe…" she conceded and her smile lost most of the impishness that had sent vibrations through his body. She straightened back up and eyed him almost questioningly. "Well, I'll prepare for our departure, while you finish… soaking. I hope you find all your clothes strewn about… you seemed to be in quite a hurry…" she finished with one last mischievous flick of her eyebrow and left him, utterly confused. What in the name of Nayru had just happened here? Had he… just shot down her advance? Oh goddess, he had, hadn't he? He had told her to cool off, without actually meaning to! He had been so utterly overcharged with her seeing him like this, her flirting (which he, idiot, only now recognized as such), and just generally how absolutely stunning she looked that apparently every last gram of brain had taken a backseat to watch how much of a fool he could make of himself.

She had come here, had seen his clothes scattered on the way, and still had not been discouraged from making an entrance. And had not furiously rejected the notion that she had come here to have a little peek! And then her smile… Goddess damn him for an idiot, it was so obvious! And he had basically told her to cool it! How big of a dirt-eating, nose-picking, mouth-breathing moron was he?!

Link let himself fall back into the water again with a loud splash. Fuck.

…at least she hadn't been offended… she, of all people, had probably understood that he was just too stupid, and not uninterested… please, please, by Farore's love, let me be right! Let there be another time, when I can react as if my head wasn't just a trap for hot air!

Despite everything, despite feeling like the most useless waste of space right now, Link had to grin. At least he had learned one thing… Zelda could be quite bold! So maybe, just maybe, if he could scrounge together enough courage, so could he…

Until then…

He got up, cooled off, for now. He suspected that that particular fire would inevitably return. He collected his clothes and was about to decide whether to wait until his skin had dried before putting them on when he suddenly had another one of his brilliant ideas… which meant that it was utterly stupid and only _might_ turn out brilliant in hindsight…

Now hang on! Zelda had had her fun and had sufficiently proven that he was, in fact, even dumber than he was sure he looked. But could he just let that victory go unchallenged? He suddenly had a rather mischievous grin plastered on his face… even though he felt very unsure and nervous about this plan.

She had shown her boldness. Now she could show how well she could take his'. And, as long as he didn't overstep the delicate boundaries of good taste, she couldn't even complain, since it was she who started all this. With a sly smirk, he casually strode back to camp, his clothes crumpled up in his hand.

Zelda wanted to see him in the nude? Outstanding! That is a wish he could grant! If she felt like playing scientist to try and gauge the depth of his idiocy, that's fine. Now, how will she react if the guinea-pig conducts an experiment of its own?

He emerged onto the clearing where they had stayed the night. The little innocent princess had already stowed his blanket and was currently crouching down to roll up her own, her back towards him. Perfect!

Nonchalantly, he ambulated to his backpack, started rummaging in it to create the impression that he was doing something, presenting his uncovered back to her… waiting.

He didn't have to wait long. "Link? You know… if earlier I was too… OH!" she exclaimed, then was silent.

He didn't turn around just yet, just continued to fumble around with his stuff aimlessly, apparently lost in thought. "Hmm?" he grunted and had to bite his cheek to stop himself from giggling nervously.

There was quiet for a few seconds, only interrupted by the occasional chirping of early birds. She was silent for so long, he felt more and more unsure. He almost could no longer resist looking over his shoulder to see if she was just stunned, or actually angry…

"So… why are you still… disrobed?" she asked, her voice very slightly husky. Now he slowly stood up and turned around, placing his hands in his hips for maximum effect. More than once his hands very nearly twitched to cover… something, but he successfully suppressed that urge. "To dry off, naturally! Wet clothes are not really the height of comfort…" he answered levelly, keeping his face deliberately expressionless, which proved more difficult with every passing second. Zelda's reaction was delightful to watch. Not only had her cheeks and nose turned a beautiful crimson colour, but her whole body-language seemed torn between ladylike composure and… he wouldn't quite call it desire but certainly very close attention. He could see her eyes darting furtively all over his naked skin which made him, strangely, pleasantly uncomfortable. This was going infinitely better than expected! He could feel the heat rise again under her breathless, wide-eyed scrutiny. He knew she would regain her composure any second… so, naturally, it was time to step up the game! Also because he felt his reservoir of confidence slowly run dry… he had to do something, and quick.

"Speaking of which…" he said and eyed his wet underpants critically. "I should probably get these off. Wouldn't do to catch a cold, would it?" He loosened the waistband and grabbed the hem, ready to pull them down, when he stopped as if a thought had crossed his mind, and looked at her earnestly. "Would you mind turning around for a second?" he asked calmly, like having her not subjected to… _everything_ was just some optional afterthought.

By now, Zelda's mouth had opened in shocked surprise. Her eyes flittered between his still politely expectant face and the spot where his thumbs were already inside his underpants' hem. "Errm…" she muttered quaveringly, before his threat finally registered in her brain and she twitched and spun around. Her ears were so brightly red, they could be used as navigation lights for ships at night… during heavy fog. Link felt well and truly evil right now… and the sight of his lovely, sweet princess so utterly stunned filled him with delectable malicious glee. She held so much more sway over him than the other way round… something which, if he admitted it to himself, he rather liked… but just for once, he had her so thoroughly flabbergasted, that she was speechless. Which meant that he had to enjoy it to the fullest! Her incredibly cute reaction both emboldened and, strangely, daunted him… He wasn't quite sure whether her daze stemmed from her liking what she saw (and her head filling with pleasurable thoughts) or from being completely appalled (and her head swimming in a sea of disgusted despair).

Currently, though, he suspected the former and he was planning to ride the wave of boldness as long as he could. Let's hope her sense of humour survived his little endurance test…

Quick as the wind, with her turned away and standing there so laughably stiffly, he jumped out of his last piece of clothing. This next part required a good deal of coordination and stealth. He only had a few moments to prepare his next prank…

Once he was done, Link threw his wet trunks past his adorable victim so it landed at a carefully measured spot with a moist splat, close enough that it would catch her full attention without her having to turn, but far enough that she wouldn't think that he had tried to hit her with it. Her head snapped towards the discarded item, he could almost feel the new wave of confusion and dismay coursing through her brain. He let the implication of underpants clearly no longer covering his private sector hang for a few painstaking moments. Then it was time for the coup de grace!

"You know…" he breathed sensually, his lips now only a centimetre from her ear. She gave an irresistibly adorable squeak and froze completely for a second. Then her first reaction was to spin around, which carried her halfway before it was promptly overruled by her second, wiser, notion of turning back away and cover her eyes with her hands.

"You know…" he repeated and could actually watch the fine hairs on her neck and arms stand on end. "…that you're not the only one who knows how to mess with people?" he finished put as much victorious glee in his voice as he possibly could.

It took poor Zelda's befuddled mind a few seconds to even begin to grasp the situation. Slow like continental drift, she dared to look over her shoulder right into Link's sardonically grinning face. Her gaze full of disbelief, she swallowed and plunged her eyes down into the unknown of… his trousers, which he had naturally put on while he had snuck up close. He wasn't a complete maniac…

Zelda looked back up at him, at the trunks lying on the ground, then back to him. And finally a hint of understanding and amusement eased the tension on her face. "You dirty, rotten, despicable, perverted, wanton, foul, lascivious, crazy, repellent, prurient, vile beast of a swine!" she clamoured, starting silent and working her way to an ear-piercing scream. He jumped a metre back and, at last, released the storm surge of laughter that had threatened to split him apart. Between his back-breaking spasms he caught a glimpse of her tomato-red face, looking both impotently furious and on the verge of falling hopelessly into a giggling fit of her own.

"Disgusting, scabrous, petty, asinine, depraved, twisted, imbecilic, repugnant, odious, villainous, nasty piece of sh… shite!" she yelled, occasionally interrupted by giggling and her still prevailing inability to curse properly… which sent him even deeper into helpless laughter. His knees gave out and he had to sit down heavily on his rump while holding his cramping stomach.

"Aaaaargh!" he heard her roar in inane, powerless rage when suddenly… 'Splat!', something wet and dusty smacked heavily into his face. His laughing cut abruptly short, he instantly recognized the projectile. He slowly removed his underpants from his face and spat a bit of dirt from his lips. Zelda stood there, hands on her hips, glowing at him with eyes widened and lips exaggeratedly together, as if desperately trying to hold on to her fury but, ultimately, failing to halt the onslaught of her giggles. Link held her stare for a few seconds, both trying, and failing, to suppress grins. He pointedly wiped a finger over his cheek and eyed the result critically.

"It seems I managed to get myself dirty again. I suspect I need another wash…" he announced to the world in general before looking back at her sparkling eyes. "Would you like to start over? Or, maybe, this time you'd like to join me right away?" he purred.

She raised a slightly threatening eyebrow. "If I were to join you right now, it would only be to drown you and rid myself of your escapades!" she growled, not quite able to keep face or voice serious.

Grinning, he stood up and slowly stepped close again until she had to look slightly up, her posture unchanged and stern, but her face slowly opening into an amused smile. He looked into those wonderful eyes of hers that were so full of vigour. "I couldn't think of a sweeter death than at your hands…" he purred softly. When, at the sheer idiocy of his statement, her smile lost every rest of just ire, he leaned closer. A quick defensive finger digging into the base of his nose stopped him. "Uh-uh. Where do you think you're going? You are filthy… _and_ your face is full of dirt. Wash and then, maaayybe, we can… talk about how you'll make that little impertinence up to me." she ordered strictly. Link took a step back and, his upper body still bare, took a deep, flourishing bow. "And for Din's sake, put on some clothes before I forget myself!" she huffed.

It was up for his interpretation how exactly she had meant that.

* * *

"Well, then… how will I be penalised for my insolence?" Link asked as they rode on, feeling almost eager for her punishment.

"I am not entirely sure yet." she answered with a thoughtful face, an evil glint in her eyes. "You will know once my vengeance is upon you."

He gave a mock shudder. "Hoo… that sounds rather sinister for a princess and champion of good, don't you think?" he questioned.

Zelda shrugged. "And you are very effective at draining my reservoir of 'good' with your antics, especially for someone who should be my protector…" she countered, bestowing upon him that impish smile that he adored, indicating that she might actually enjoy the occasional drainage…

Link smiled as they continued in silence for a while. All in all, the morning had been a delightful Goron-mine-cart-ride of emotions. From the sweetest awakening imaginable, through the most panicky early cool-down-bath, over profound, unwarranted embarrassment to gleeful revenge… He could see that travelling with this miraculous girl would leave no room for boredom… and despite all danger or incertitude, by goddess, he was giddy for every moment of it!

"How hard do you intend to push us today?" Zelda asked suddenly.

"Well, we've had yesterday to rebuild our strength, so I had planned on a hard day riding, to be honest…" he answered carefully.

She nodded, pressing her lips together slightly. "Do you have a specific goal in mind?" she wanted to know, giving him a curious look with her brilliant eyes.

He nodded this time. "I do, but… only if you agree…" he hesitated slightly. She cocked her head slightly in a questioning way and smiled encouragingly. He noticed the play of sunlight and shadow on her golden hair as they rode under the tree canopy… no matter how often he looked at her, every time he found a new fascination enriching his soul. Her smile gave him the confidence to continue. "Ideally, if we can manage a large distance today, tomorrow we can reach Ord while it's still morning. Thanks to our marathon on day one, we could stay the rest of the day there and not be behind schedule… and…"

"And you would like to spend the day with your family?" she asked softly and smiled warmly at him.

Link lowered his eyes for a moment and felt slightly ashamed… it sounded so childish and, in the grand scheme of things, just so unimportant… also, it just occurred to him, since she and her father were so far apart, seeing him get along with his parents might stir emotions that she had tried to bury… but still…

He looked back up. "With all that is going on… considering how long I might be gone… I would like to at least have a long talk… and warn them as best I can of the danger on the horizon…" he muttered, hoping that she would understand.

"You sound almost apologetic…" she observed with a slight furrowing of her brow. "Of course you must do that! And even if you need two whole days! Who is to tell us what our 'schedule' is, apart from us? Take as much time as you need!" she reassured genially.

Link felt relieved, but nonetheless felt like he should ask again, just for confirmation. "So you would be okay to go a bit harder today?"

Now she raised a gently chiding eyebrow. "You did not really think I would want to stand between you and time spent with your family, right?" she asked, her voice indicating that she thought him a dolt. Not much news there… "Link, I mean it. Take as much time as you need. Please? I can not believe I am saying this, but, shockingly, there are some things that are more important than spending time with me…" she chuckled. Link had to smile at her. Her words had been joking, but he could sense that behind them she was completely serious.

Finally, relief swept his doubts away. He couldn't quite say why he had been so worried… possibly because of how painfully the situation with her father gnawed at her soul, as he had witnessed during their quarrel back in Hyrule city. He still didn't want to put her through envious hurt by forcing her to see his harmonious family-life when she had none… He would have to think on what he could do to make this bearable for her, for the thought of her hiding her unhappiness for his sake tore at his heart. He would think on it.

For now, the more pressing question was…

"What do you want to tell them?" Zelda asked curiously.

Yeah… that… "Honestly, I am struggling to answer that…" he grumbled. "I cannot leave them knowing nothing of this horror is brewing. But how do I go about that? 'Mother! Father! Good to see you. Can't stay long, the world needs some saving! Oh by the way, I've got the princess of Hyrule among my luggage, where can I put her?'" he mimicked a more stupid version of himself.

Zelda gave her wonderful, clear laugh that still caused pleasant tingling in his stomach whenever he heard it. "Indeed, that might cause some confusion. … do you want to introduce me as, well, myself?" she asked, suddenly a bit shy but clearly very interested in his answer.

He thought about it for at least a minute. "I believe I do. First off, I don't want to lie to them on such an important topic. Secondly…"

"You don't have to explain to me…" she interrupted gently. "I trust you if you say that it will be alright… for their sake too…" she added.

Link nodded and smiled at her warmly. Not for the first time, he felt a near irresistible urge to pull her close and cuddle her fiercely… her fault for being so cute.

"I know Zelda… but I still want to hear your opinion, as this is primarily about your safety. So secondly, I know that any secret is safe with them. Thirdly and most importantly, I really, _really_ want to seem my mother's face when I tell her that I kidnapped you. You wouldn't object to being bound when we ride into Ord, would you?" he asked, as an aside.

She showed a lopsided grin. "Being paraded in front of your village as a spectacular prize? I see nothing wrong with that…" she twittered, sarcasm only dripping slightly from her voice. "And shame on you for trying to scare your poor, innocent mother!"

"Pffff! That woman birthed _me_. How innocent could she possibly be?" he retorted, grinning slyly.

Another brilliant little laugh. Hopefully he could keep her laughing like this for the entirety of their travels… "True enough. I will revise my expectation from kind older lady to whatever demon could have spawned you." she giggled.

He, too, had to chuckle. "Well, whatever you do, should you wish to survive the encounter with her, do not, under any circumstances, use any word that contains 'old'!"

* * *

They had just finished their midday break and it was disgustingly hot. Apparently this August wanted to flex its muscles before it was time to pass on. Both of them were silent, because talking might risk their brains being cooked even quicker than before. Thankfully, due to the distance they planned on covering today, they would camp next to another little stream, which meant they could use their water a bit more generously. Link poured a little bit of the, sadly, also warm substance over his face and his neck and washed a bit of the sweat away, that was constantly running into his eyes. He noticed how Zelda followed his example and, much more decorously, poured just a few drops into her hand and wiped her face.

By the goddess, he liked watching her. How can one Hylian, even a princess, move with such effortless elegance? He did feel like a bit of a creep, observing her every move like that but… really, he just marvelled at her poise and grace… truly!... mostly…

Her head turned to look at him, as if she had felt his gaze on her… she smiled, and ,her glistening skin turning slightly red, she coyly brushed an errant strand of her golden hair behind her ear. His heart instantly quickened its pace and he felt the increasingly familiar excitement flood through his veins. By Din's fire, it was a pleasant sensation… only that it exacerbated this vicious heat was a tiny bit uncomfortable. It made his head spin… although, truthfully, it did not require high temperatures for Zelda to cause his body to do weird escapades… she could do that with one quick glance of her stunning eyes, and No! he would never get over how breathtaking they were.

He followed her gaze and noticed how she seemed to trace the spots where his tunic clung to his skin… he had to swallow, for his throat was suddenly a bit dry… after a few breathless seconds, she seemed to notice her absentminded staring and, eyes widened and blushing furiously, she looked away.

Link used this moment to furtively readjust his trousers to accommodate the sudden lack of space in there. Farore's mercy, she couldn't keep doing that to him! It was already so dreadfully hard to control himself at times! And, holy Trinity help, she might _notice_ at some point! Words and insinuations were one thing, but… this? This was quite clearly crossing some line, wasn't it? Blasted male anatomy, how was that fair?

Zelda chose just that moment to arc her shapely back, stretching in the saddle, which, as he glanced out of the corners of his eyes, caused the fabric of her blouse to press tightly against her belly and chest. That, naturally, caused yet another twitch in Link's loins. Blessed Nayru, was she doing that on purpose?! Was that the revenge she had threatened to wreak upon him? If yes, it was working! Sitting on a horse while being so… erect was the height of discomfort. And he couldn't even do anything about it without it being hopelessly obvious.

Okay, mental training… think of cold water… yes… No! That just made him remember the 'adventure' earlier today! Damn it! Calm down, sausage knight!

This was the problem that had arisen since this morning and it became more and more apparent as the hours passed. When before, his thoughts about Zelda had mostly been innocent, they now were, well, mostly not. Increasingly often his mind replayed their more passionate kisses, the two in front of her chambers where he, near crazed by desire, had pressed her against the door and they had only barely been able to stop. He also recalled how he had to awkwardly pull back his hips, or twist them to the side, so she wouldn't notice his stiffness… wouldn't _feel_ it.

The images drove him wild! So did his thoughts. Had she not responded to him? True, it had been her who had ultimately broken both contacts, but hadn't he felt her reluctance at doing so? Hadn't she, too, been breathless and flushed and her gaze full of hot passion?

…yes. Yes, despite all doubt, he was sure of that at least. He did not believe that he could be so catastrophically wrong there…

But when could a flaming kiss progress into… more? What was the signal? By the goddesses, he did not want her to think him even more of a pervert than she, undoubtedly, already did… or, infinitely worse, actually get scared of him!

So what did he have to do to? What could he do to make her feel… comfortable? Safe? Certain? He didn't even know the right question for the answers he didn't have! It was infuriating! _And still she looked so unbelievably enticing! How was a man to think with this embodiment of beauty, sophistication and grace right in front of him?! And you, down there, would you, please, calm down already?!_

Link heaved a big sigh and closed his eyes. Bugger it all, he had to distract himself or he would have to disappear into the bushes for a couple of minutes.

Blessedly, Farore, the goddess of life, had mercy. Something had caught his eye. "Zelda! Look there, on the tree!" he exclaimed, pointing at a mighty trunk about ten metres off.

"You may want to try to be more specific, my dear knight. We happen to be in what is called a wood." she remarked dryly, but followed his indication.

Link steered Janna towards the large oak-tree, his grin growing ever broader the closer they got.

"What is it? Tell me already!" she giggled, obviously not seeing it as she looked the trunk up and down.

"This, my dear, is our dinner!" he sang eagerly as he exited the saddle.

He could feel Zelda's doubt-filled look on him. "Do you think there's enough for both of us?" she asked, eyeing the big oak quizzically.

Link snorted and giggled. "Look at smartypants and her extensive knowledge of fine cuisine!" he taunted and drew the knife from his belt.

"It might take a while to fell this one with so petite a weapon…" she jibed back, twiddling her thumbs in an especially sweet mocking way.

"Quiet, you philistine! The sausage knight knows what he's doing!" he countered and, the knife between his teeth, started to climb up handily.

"Well, I stand rigidly to attention to watch and learn!" she purred, which made him very nearly lose his grip and fall backwards. So much for distraction… this _was_ her revenge, wasn't it?

Trying exceedingly hard to forget what his ears and brain insisted had been intentional, he clambered up to about three metres. There, he gingerly took the knife from his mouth and got to work on his goal.

"An agaric?" she asked, her voice still sounding doubtful.

"Possibly. What does that mean?" he wanted to know while carefully wrenching his knife between tree-bark and their soon-to-be food.

"A tree-fungus, classically. Though many use the word for many different sorts of fungi nowadays." she informed, her scholar-mode engaged, much to Link's delight. "Well, you are about to learn something new, professor." he panted while he slowly, carefully cut along the mushroom's tree-ward side, while clinging to the bark with only one hand and his feet. There were three in total, grown close together as they usually do. The biggest was about five times the size of his palm, light grey with just a shimmer of reddish brown and flesh nearly as tough as the oak it grew on. Zelda watched silently as he worked… which was good, because another one of her sudden comments, while he was holding a knife three metres above ground, might be the end of him. One after the other he let them drop to the tree's roots. Satisfied with his handiwork, and with a last glance that he hadn't missed any other such treasures, he jumped away from the trunk and landed softly on the bouncy moss. He wasn't sure whether he had heard right, but he thought she had gasped slightly at his manoeuvre… hmm…

He collected the three pieces of agaric (new word for his collection!) and looked at them happily before handing one to 'Miss Doubtful'.

She gingerly took it in her hands and, scholar-mode still active, proceeded to examine it closely. He got back into the saddle, then watched her, an almost wistful smile on his face. He liked it when she made that intensely concentrated expression…

She turned it this way and that, rubbed her finger over the tough outer skin, sniffed at where he had cleanly cut it away from the bark. Finally she rapped her knuckles against it, which produced a sharp, wooden 'tok tok' sound, and eyed him critically. "Aaand which Hinox do we use to masticate that for us?" she asked dryly.

Link shot her a mock wounded look and pointed at her histrionically. "Infidel! Heretic! I shall not suffer such insolence! Never again question my knowledge of food, woman!" he boomed accusingly.

She whipped her hands in the air defensively and, in the same motion, threw the fungus back into his hands. "Forgiveness, o nourishing master! May thine sustenance be ever plentiful! This one shall dubitate thee no longer!" she sing-songed demurely.

Link held the so much doubted prize aloft religiously. "In the name of the glorious Mushroom, praise be unto him, thine sins are forgiven, child, for He is merciful. Venture forth with His blessing and sin never more!" he intoned gravely.

A second passed. Then the horses nearly shied because of their sudden, side-splitting laughter. 'Thankfully' Link thought while contorting in his saddle and watching Zelda suffer a similar fate. 'Thankfully it looks like I might be able to keep her laughing, even through these desperate times, whatever she might have to endure.'

And the thought filled him with glowing pride.

* * *

"How, err… how long is it now?" Zelda asked.

Link winced as he felt a pang of guilt at hearing the clear fatigue in her voice. She had been such a trooper and he suspected she would be too stubborn to say when she'd had enough… but he was pretty sure that she was close to the limit of her tolerance. He couldn't fault her. The day had only gotten hotter as the afternoon progressed… mostly it had gotten more humid, so when before their clothes had clung to them in places, they were now drenched completely. To make matters worse, they had had to dismount about two hours ago because, naturally, the heat had affected the horses too. It would have been cruel to stay in the saddle… and potentially dangerous when one of the beasts lost patience.

Thankfully, it really wasn't far off now. He moved a little closer, took her hand carefully and gave her fingers a little kiss. "Not long. Fifteen minutes. Twenty-five at most." he assured her. He gave her hand one last squeeze, then let go because everything was hot.

She just nodded and, without even looking up, smiled very briefly, little more than a twitch of her mouth.

He felt like he should say something. "I'm sorry for this…" he blathered, his head also too cooked to produce a coherent thought.

She snorted weakly. "For what? The heat? That might be something that even you can't fix…" she mumbled. "Besides… I will have to get used to trudges such as this. One day, we might not have an option…" she trailed off, saving her strength for walking.

You're already so brave, he thought, but… it didn't seem the right moment for this sort of talk.

They rounded another little hill, probably the sixtieth identical looking mound today when, finally, Link's sharp ears heard a gently sploshing.

"I can already hear it! And I think we'll meet the stream precisely where I meant to." he exclaimed, trying to give her strength for the last metres.

"Have you been here before?" she asked, her back getting a bit straighter at the prospect of an end of their march close at hand.

"Yes. We've entered the part of the world, the surrounding of Ord, that I know every centimetre of. You'll see! Ric, Mart and I have discovered this about four years ago. It's like a little pond that is being fed by the rivulet. One year we have found it nearly dried up because the course of the river had changed slightly and was no longer feeding it. I think we spent a whole week digging to correct that little error of nature." he chuckled softly.

She too, gave a little snort of a laugh. "Sounds wonderful…" she muttered wistfully. "Just what I need…"

Only about a minute later they emerged onto a tiny clearing directly next to a peaceful pond, only about ten metres in diameter, filled with clear, smooth water. The stream ran tangentially to it and continuously provided fresh supply of the cool wet. It truly was a sight for overheated eyes. "Ah! Wonderful! Just how I left it!" Link said, happiness in his voice. The trees stood rather closely around the pond, its shore one continuous soft blanket of emerald moss. Only where they stood, in the clearing, there were white stones leading into the water. Warm Darners hovered lazily over the glossy surface, filling the place with even more life. Zelda too seemed somewhat re-invigorated by the outlook and the possibility of a near cool-down. "Oh, Link, it's beautiful!" she exclaimed, her eyes regaining some of their sparkle. "Quick! Let's see to the horses and then we can have a dip!" she suggested and Link agreed.

By now they were pretty practised in providing for their mounts. Saddle and bags off, leading them to drink, rubbing them down… Still, it took a painfully long while for someone who desperately needed to jump into the waiting refreshment.

Finally, when everything seemed done, Zelda looked so longingly at the water it was almost unbearable. But, as he had expected, she didn't think of herself first…

"You go first… I'm okay for now…" she assured, despite her heat-flushed face and her tired eyes clearly proving her a liar.

Link looked at her with a wry smile and nodded in a way that left no doubt that he didn't believe her one bit. "You know, I really wish you wouldn't do that…" he began, drawing closer almost predatorily. Naturally, he too was dreadfully hot… which was probably why what he was about to do seemed like a good idea… but if she truly believed that he would enjoy himself while she languished a few metres away, her brain must truly be cooked well-done.

He was right in front of her now and bent down slightly. Too late, though, she noticed the mischievous look in his eyes. With one quick manoeuvre he snuck his hand under her knees and picked her up so she lay in his arms. "Whoa! What are you…? No!" she shouted.

With her firmly picked up, he strode to the pond in a measured pace. Goddess, she was so charmingly light! Even sweaty and icky as they both were, her in his arms felt right, somehow. A notion that she didn't seem to share, at least not with the prospect of what he was about to do looming above. She struggled, but not really… just for appearance's sake. Even her angry outcries were laughably interrupted by giggling. "Will you let me down at once, you oaf? Don't you dare throw me in!" she shrieked as he reached the edge and clung around his neck. Perfect!

"You misunderstand!" he said nonchalantly. "I am going for a bath. You just happen to cling to me!" He stepped into the delightfully cool wetness and proceeded until it reached just above his knees.

"No! No! No! _Link! I'll get wet!_ " she squealed in hilarious panic.

He endowed her with his most loving smile. "That, my sweet little dumpling, is the idea." And down he sat, with her in his lap! The cold water that kissed his chest made him wince. Zelda, her royal bottom now very cool all of a sudden, gave a hissing intake of air and an irresistibly cute little giggling whimper. She looked at him with eyes widened in shock and amusement. "You filthy dog!" she squeaked with an adorably high voice.

Link couldn't help himself and looked back at her breathtaking, flushed face, so terribly close to hers, and showed a scum-eating grin. "Now… isn't that better?"

"I will kill you in your sleep!" she threatened with the same voice, her hands still frozen above the cold water, afraid to subject any more of her delicate skin to it's stinging caress.

"You have every right to!" he said softly and planted a long, tender kiss on her sweaty cheek. "But know that I will die happy."

"Idiot!" she breathed and splashed his face with a handful of water.

Unconcerned, he kept grinning at her. He was, of course, no longer holding her… she could leave his lap whenever she wanted… but she didn't.

"And now our clothes are wet!" she spat, clearly just not wanting to admit defeat.

"They were wet before. We'd have to wash them anyway. You might still smell like a garden of flowers…" he purred and snuck another quick kiss on her cheek. "…but I suspect that I don't."

"You don't smell _so_ bad…" she whispered bashfully, blushed and looked down. Holy Trinity she was cute! Link could no longer resist. He gently guided her chin back up with his left and leaned forward, right as she did the same. Their lips met in immediately tangled in one long passionate kiss.

Goodness, she was forceful! She nearly pushed him over with her fierceness, her lips pressed tightly against his, her hands on his shoulders, pulling herself even closer. Dear goddess, she smelled seductively wonderful. The sweat on her face only enhanced it! He couldn't breathe quick enough to satisfy his need for her scent! His hands tentatively stroked her waist underwater. He still wasn't sure what he should do… what he _could_ do…

Lovely Nayru, her incredible appeal stirred his manhood once again and no cold water would be able to stop it. What should he do? _She'd notice!_

An urgent whinny ripped them both out of their concentration for each other. Zelda, almost involuntarily twitched back and looked at the clearing where the horses stood. Link, too, stared and gently lifted her off, in case he needed to jump up and reach his sword… and because his _other_ sword was on the move…

The clearing seemed quiet, only Celeste, looking at them strangely reproachfully, scraped her hooves.

"We didn't feed them…" Zelda whispered, her breath still fast, just like his. They looked at each other, both gazes a mirror of hot anticlimax and regret. They both sighed at the same time and she leaned her forehead against his shoulder in apparent frustration.

With one last wry, almost melancholy, smile, they both got up to feed their chaperones.

* * *

About half an hour later, the sun now only visible by its last golden rays, they were sitting next to each other by the fire. After providing for those pesky, meddlesome creatures that were now playing innocent, Link had gone to collect firewood while Zelda had washed both of their clothes. They were still drying (the humid air refusing to accept their moisture), so he was wearing his best tunic, while she only had her one, royal-blue outfit. It was rather odd seeing her in such an official seeming garb, sitting on a log next to a small campfire in the middle of nowhere.

He could hear her stomach growl again and grinned. "Is someone getting impatient?" he asked smugly.

"Do you need me to be clearer, o nourishing master? …come on, when will it be doooone?" she whined, accompanied by yet another musical growl.

He just smiled while he turned the two mushroom skewers slowly from this side to that. They already smelled deliciously… They were easy enough to make, you just had to know that you needed to let them soak in water for fifteen minutes to mellow. Then, quick as the wind, he had made a marinade of sorrel and a few wild berries he had found, had cut the mushroom into it and had put them over the fire to slowly roast.

"Din have mercy on you if you are making me wait on purpose…" the cute, hungry gremlin next to him grumbled, her eyes fixed on the food, turning in the fire mesmerisingly.

"Are you going to start to slaver next? That might be worth the wait, actually…" he teased with a thoughtful voice.

"Pleeeeaase?" she whined, trying to use her considerable cuteness against him. He had forbidden her from snacking, so it was rather understandable.

He took one of them from the fire and tentatively squeezed one of the two-bite-sized pits. With a satisfied nod he handed the heavy skewer to his starving girl.

She snatched it from his hands, couldn't refrain from saying "Let's hope this was worth it…" and took a bite. And another. And another.

The three mushrooms Link had reaped were more than enough for two stomachs but… Zelda seemed to want to test this judgement.

After watching her unabashed gorging amusedly for a couple of seconds he, too, dug in. And he was pleasantly surprised! It could be because he just hadn't had them in a long while, but these fungi really were excellent. And he seemed to have done a pretty good job on the marinade as well! It's sweet, fruity flavour was an excellent counterpoint to the mushroom's fleshy, bosky taste.

Apparently he really had picked up a good deal from watching both his mother and Ricco over the years…

"…do we have more?" a tiny voice from his side asked shyly.

Link looked at her, staring wistfully at the empty skewer. He looked to his own where there were still three chunks. 'I am about to do something very uncharacteristic' he thought with only the tiniest frown. With an audible sigh he handed her his. "I hope you know how much that means…" he couldn't help but say lowly.

With just a flicker of hesitation she took it and got to work. He looked into the fire… he didn't want to see how his food slowly disappeared. A few seconds later, Zelda gave him a nudge and handed the skewer back.

He eyed it critically and had to laugh softly. She had taken a bite from all three remaining chunks. For reasons not entirely explainable, he enjoyed finishing them even more now…

"That was really, really excellent, Link." she praised quietly when he had finished. He gave a soft snort. "Are you satiated then, dumpling?" he asked, grinning at her.

"Mostly…" she answered, a little bashful. "But I mean it… it really was very good. What's that agaric called?"

"Barkcap. Not the most ingenious name… I've heard some of the old in the village call it Barkchin, because, allegedly, it makes one more resilient…" he answered, showing in his voice that he mistrusted such hearsay.

"Local knowledge like this is surprisingly often accurate, you know. Ancient wisdom that was relevant when special brews were the only defence the people had…" she lectured.

Once again he gave a slight laugh and leaned over to gently rub his head against hers. His little scholar…

She responded in kind and, leaning against each other, they watched the fire. It, at least, provided dry heat, as opposed to the moistness all around.

"Tell me of your family…" she requested silently. Link hesitated. Again, he didn't want to parade the fact that he had a working relationship with his parents in front of her, as silly as that was… the gut-wrenching pain and disappointment she had admitted feeling still affected him deeply. But then again… maybe seeing a working family was what she needed?

"…where to start? Mother, father, two siblings, both younger. Ria is nine, pretty, flippant. She can fill an afternoon talking in one long, unbroken sentence about an interesting rock she found. André junior is seven, eats almost as much as me, wanted to be a horse when he grew up." he chuckled and so did she. Tentatively she snuck her left hand into his right and locked fingers. "He reminds me of myself, always about with his friends, fighting with sticks, beating each other bloody without so much as a moan, then run crying to mommy to be the centre of attention. Hm." he stopped for a second to revel in memories.

"Mother, Meera, possibly the most nosy person imaginable. She's the teacher of our village, so you can thank her for my mistakes. Strict, loving, bakes the best bread you have ever tasted… she thinks that every minute spent quietly contemplating is a bloody waste of time and she _will_ find an activity for you, and if it's on the other side of the country." he explained and smiled. He felt her squeeze his hand gently. "My father, André senior, is a gentle giant of a man. You'd think him intimidating when you first lay eyes upon him, but really it's my mother you need to fear, and she's a head shorter than me. He's always calm, speaks little, prefers to listen, but… usually when he speaks, you can be sure that he has thought carefully about it. He's a good teacher, patient, though… by the goddess, if he looks at you disapprovingly, you know that you've screwed up… I hope to one day be as tall as him…" Link admitted. It felt so wonderful to just… open these things to someone. Someone he trusted completely. Someone where he didn't need to feign anything.

"Don't'!" Zelda said and moved her head away from his at last to look at him. "You are just the right height!" she assured and stretched to peck him on the cheek. "See?" she giggled.

Link put on a thoughtful expression for a moment, then leaned in to give her one on the forehead. "Huh… I guess you're right!" he exclaimed, as if he had just made the discovery of a lifetime. The both laughed softly, then continued looking at the fire, their heads again leaned against each other.

"They all sound wonderful…" she said. Unmistakably, the sound of regret swung in her voice, but that was to be expected. Mostly she projected genuine affection.

"They're all crazy, naturally, just like me. I think you'll like them." he said.

They were silent for a while, only the occasional breeze, the soft, steady murmur of the stream and the calming crackle of the fire was to be heard. Like yesterday, he toyed with the idea of presenting her with the earring he had bought for her. But, also like yesterday, he felt like the time was not quite there…

Link looked up. The spun had set. Only a faint shimmer of blue in the west remained of the day. Instantly, he got a bit nervous. He had planned to ask Zelda from the start, but it seemed so… off now, somehow. Nevertheless…

"Say… would you like to… have a swim w… with me?" he asked, suddenly stammering. She looked at him, both surprise and amusement in her eyes that reflected the dancing fire. "Voluntary this time, you mean?" she questioned slyly.

"Well, I mean… the sun has gone down, it's dark…" he let the rest of the sentence hang in the air.

He could see her raise an eyebrow. "Why do I get the feeling your intentions are not entirely innocent?" she uttered and smirked.

"Well, because, obviously, they're not. It's me!" he joked, presenting himself, while his heart raced with his nervousness. "But, ultimately, it's just cooling off and a little fun!"

'And wild eroticism oh please say yes' an inner voice added in his head.

He could see her blush, like he surely had. "It does sound enticing…" she mumbled.

"Tell you what: I'll disrobe and go in. Nothing your good self hasn't seen already, right?" he interjected mockingly. "Then, you can decide whether to join me. If you want, I'll look away until you're in the water."

And before Zelda could say anything more, he jumped up and, on the way to the pond, yanked the tunic over his head, shed his trousers and entered the cold water with a splash.

And now we wait… he hoped she would come. Not just because of… that. Naturally, continuing their earlier passionate kiss had crossed his mind only, oh, a thousand times, maybe? But most of all, he really, simply, wanted her to have some fun.

The seconds passed while he listened and occasionally glanced at the clearing with their little fire.

Then, finally, when he had almost lost hope, she stood up and, tentatively, came closer. It was completely dark apart from the flame and starlight. He only saw her shapely, hugely alluring silhouette against the dancing orange light. He exhaled sharply. That image alone would be worth the day. But, slowly, almost reluctantly, he could see her button down her blouse.

Link had to swallow as his throat had turned dry. Button for button her hands travelled lower. She hadn't said that he should look away… he didn't know if he even could.

With measured movement, Zelda removed her top and dropped it on the ground. A shiver, both hot and cold, crackled over his skin. He could see her shoulders against the reddish light… slender, round, unimaginably beautiful. She got to work on her own trousers… when she pushed them down her legs, another jolt, considerably stronger, coursed through Link's brain and lower body. Not even the glacial ice in Zora's domain would be able to calm him now.

At last, she stood, nude but for her undergarments, a silhouette of utter perfection, from her majestic calves to her gently wafting hair. She seemed to remain for a few tantalizing moments, almost as if to give him time to marvel at her mind-numbingly seductive body. Then, slowly, she walked into the water, right towards him.

His head swam with the implications, rejoiced at her closeness, panicked at what he had gotten himself into. He was nearly frozen in place, and shivering from both the cold water, the excitement and the fear for what might come next.

Then she stood in front of him, close enough that, if he extended his arm, he could cup her cheek. The water reached to just below her shoulders, and now, with her this close, he could see her face. Her expression seemed to mirror his own feelings…

"What now?" she asked, her voice throaty.

He didn't know… but he was going for it anyway.

Ever so gently he let the fingers of his left hand touch her shoulder. He felt her shiver slightly, just like he did. Carefully, he let his right brush against her elegant neck, gave himself the time to feel her smooth, soft, warm skin. She felt so wonderful, the best feeling he had ever experienced. Softly, his right cupped her cheek, his thumb caressing the hair behind her temple. He waited a second, breathless, shivering. Slowly, hesitantly, he felt her gentle hands stroke over his sides and up to just under his shoulders. Her touch nearly made him lose his senses. With enormous restraint fuelled by blind panic, he slowly leaned closer…

She met his lips halfway and the firework of their passion started anew. He pulled her to him, just as she eagerly stepped close. Their lips wrestled with each other, urgently, fiercely. He heard himself make involuntary, low hums, just as she gave her adorable tiny squeaks. The held each other close, tightly embraced, their breaths racing as they unified their worlds with their flaming kiss. All of Link's senses seemed impossibly heightened. Her soft nose against his, gently battling with each other. Her supple lips, hungrily nibbling, sucking, probing his mouth. Her hands on his back, reacting to each of his motions by gently digging into his flesh. The sensation of his own palms on her shoulders, gripping her tender skin sometimes mildly, sometimes tightly.

He broke contact with her lips, breathing heavily, feeling her own hot breath against his face and neck. He cocked his head to kiss down her jaw to her ear, then nibble down her neck, placing kiss after kiss as he went lower. He could feel her getting goosebumps as he caressed her arms with his hands, and heard her whimper in ecstasy. When he had reached her shoulder with his mouth, he let his teeth bite, ever so gently, then returned to where her lips waited. His travel down her beautiful neck only seemed to have enhanced her passion when their mouths met once more. He could feel her hips grind against his, his manhood feeling every tiny movement of hers. It drove him crazy! The lightning coursing through his spine got ever more intense. Finally, all caution gone, all embarrassment that she might feel his member long forgotten, he lowered his hands under water, grabbed her, annoyingly, still clothed bottom and lifted her slightly and pressed her to him.

Zelda gave a surprised squeal into his mouth, but instantly slung her intensely erotic legs around his hips. Their fiery kiss unbroken, he carried her to the mossy shore where he gently sat her down and climbed on top of her. He caressed her thigh with his left, his right needed to support himself so he wouldn't crush her with his weight. Out of the water now, he felt her hot skin directly on his. Twinges in both their bodies signalled preparations for what nature intended to follow.

Link was just about to lead his hand further up, his fingertips already below the fabric of her undies when something made him stop, he had no idea what. Something seemed not totally right. He broke the kiss and looked at her, searching in her eyes, felt her search back, both trembling and questioning, both hearts racing. After what seemed like an eternity, Zelda closed her eyes, let her head down to the ground and slowly, reluctantly, shook it.

Link sighed deeply and smiled, both in relief and disappointment. He rolled off her and lay next to her on his back. He gazed up at the stars as he heard both his and Zelda's breath calm as the minutes passed. And while his chest might be calmer, the storm in his mind was still terribly strong.

"Are you mad?" he heard her squeak next to him, her voice urgent, as if not daring to hope for a negative answer.

He tried to search his emotions, which currently was not easily done with desire and lust having created a maelstrom of feelings.

"No." he answered truthfully.

She was silent, but he could hear her fidgeting, as if unsure what to do.

"Did I… do something wrong?" he asked and swallowed, hoping to the goddesses that his doubts may not turn out true.

"No!" she said forcefully.

"Was I too fast? Did I overwhelm you?" he wanted to know, dreading the answer. By all Three, please don't let my stupidity have ruined all this! Please don't let her hate me!

"No! …a bit maybe…" she admitted weakly.

Link swallowed again, his throat dry. "I'm sorry…"

"Don't be! I… I thought I wanted to… I… I do want to… it's just…" she hesitated.

He let her think… Nayru knew it was hard enough for him right now…

"I guess I was scared…" she finally muttered.

He took a deep breath before asking. "Did I scare you?"

"Also no!" she exclaimed and he could hear the tears in her voice. "I don't know…" she confessed, quavering.

Link didn't know what to do… he wanted to hug her, but… would she want that now? …he did…

He rolled to his side. She, too, had turned to her side, facing away from him. He gingerly touched her shoulder, she twitched slightly, but didn't move away. He stroked her arm. "Come here, Zelda…" he told her, giving her the option to decline. After only a tiny moment's hesitation she wriggled close to him, she the little spoon, he the bigger one. He rested his cheek against her head, her wet hair cold between her back and his stomach. He gently rested his hand on her shoulder. She seemed to accept, as she took it and led it around her body so he would hug her.

"I don't know…" she repeated. "Please don't be mad at me…" she sobbed.

Link kissed her long, beautiful ear to show his support. Of course, he was disappointed… But ultimately, he was mostly relieved. The last thing he wanted was for her to do something she wasn't ready for. He absolutely couldn't stomach the thought of her being distressed because of something that was, both terribly important and, if you really thought about it, so completely unimportant… besides he, too, had been on the verge of panic for the entirety of this little adventure.

"I am not mad at you, are you listening? Not. Mad." he reassured her. But he felt honesty was required in this situation… anything less wouldn't do. "But I will admit that I am… not totally happy with this ending…" Apparently it was the time for euphemisms, though…

She snorted softly. "I am too… believe me! I wanted to… I want you! So much! Then, only at this last second, I hesitated." she tried to explain.

Link swallowed for the hundredth time. Her saying those words threatened to fan the flames of his lust again, but he kept them in check. The moment had passed.

"It's so dumb! I feel like I've ruined everything!" she whimpered heartbreakingly and curled up in a ball. She squeezed his hand so tightly that it nearly hurt.

He wriggled his other hand under her and used it to hug her even tighter.

"You ruined nothing, you little fool. Do you really think our affection is so easily broken? By this?" he asked, a bit tenderly, a bit strictly.

He waited a few seconds until, finally, she gave a muffled "No…"

"Neither do I. This is both our decision Zelda. If we want this, it needs us both. And I don't want you to do something that you might come to regret. Especially not for my sake."

She violently shook her head. "I don't regret it! Nothing! I now regret that I stopped us!"

"Maybe you were not ready?" he finally voiced it.

"I don't know! How does one know?" she asked pitifully.

"I don't have the faintest idea, Zelda. Am I ready? I was scared witless the entire time! How should I know? What would the scholar within you do when faced with something she might, and I stress, MIGHT, have made a wrong decision about?" he asked, hoping to help her through her vast intellect.

She only took a second to answer. "Review facts I know, search for factors I don't, draw new conclusions if applicable and revise my opinion."

"Well, we'll have to do that, then. And when the next opportunity arises, we will try again. Until it works. Or you get tired of my bumbling failures as test object." he chuckled.

"No!" she affirmed, almost sulkily. "Never!"

He had to admit, it did him massively good to hear her say that. He felt a weight the size of Death Mountain fall off his mind, now that it was clear that, thankfully, he had ruined neither this moment, nor any following ones. He breathed a lot more freely… and he would get her to forgive herself as well!

They lay quietly, her back against his belly, just enjoying the new, exciting and lovely feeling of skin against skin.

After a while Zelda stirred again. "Link? I… earlier I didn't really ask you properly… I just assumed…" she mumbled.

He had no idea what she was talking about and told her so.

"Your family… when we reach Ord… do you even want to introduce me? You know, if it's a bother to you, or too complicated, I can just wander around while you get to enjoy their company without distractions…" she offered softly.

This was the most ridiculous thing Link had ever heard. He shook his head, brushing against hers. "Dummy!" he chuckled disbelievingly.

"I'm being serious!" she exclaimed, a little piqued.

Without her seeing it, he rolled his eyes dramatically and sighed heavily, right into her ear.

"You still are a dummy." he whispered.

"Hey! Why?"

"Because, you cute little dumpling, it would be odd not to introduce one part of my family to another important part, now wouldn't it?" he purred, giggling and pulling her even tighter in his embrace.

He actually felt her adorable heart skip a beat.


	35. Chapter 34

**Whoo, that was one tough chapter to make. It took many a re-write, but now I'm sufficiently pleased. It certainly took me long enough…but it was a lot of fun!  
**

 **Lots of sweet, sugary stuff in this one! Hope I didn't go overboard… ;)**

 **Enjoy!**

Chapter 34

Zelda

Zelda's dreams that night were a spectacle of a thousand different impressions and emotions. Her mind replayed those last few minutes before sleep again and again, sometimes leaving out, sometimes embellishing certain details; a never-ending loop of sensations, showing her in fluctuating detail what had been… and telling her overly creative what could have been… A bittersweet cascade of recent memory, every perception the epitome of emotional honey, right up to the ending, which had been just sour enough to stop their mutual questing for the moment, yet had left the appetite for more sweetness all the more powerful.

She felt herself stir, felt sleep and her revolving dreams slowly give way to consciousness, which was in itself bittersweet. A part of her clung to the dream, didn't want to let go, wanted to keep this experience of closeness… But the threshold to wakefulness was eventually crossed and she awoke hot, sweaty and with her heart hammering like it had the night before. A tiny grin played around her lips and she even felt herself blush a bit. No wonder with those thoughts chasing through her head… the sweat could have come from the already sweltering heat, but, well, she knew it didn't… Zelda hung on to the last remnants of the intense situations that had dominated her sleep… just a few seconds more, she told herself. With closed eyes she could still feel the boundless excitement, the thrilling near-panic, the delicious contrast between the water's cold and Link's hot embrace. She could feel his lips kissing down her exposed neck, could feel his strong hands on her shoulders, then his fingers as they trailed up her leg and stopped so infuriatingly short of their goal… A tiny, _tiny_ part of her almost wished he had ignored her first wordless call to stop, had continued just for a few more moments… maybe she would have changed her mind then? But she knew it was a pointless exercise to dwell on endless 'what if?'

Now that her sleeping mind had sufficiently dealt with the exciting part, (or insufficiently, depending on which part of her brain you could believe,) her waking brain insisted on reviewing the slightly bitter part afterwards.

Why had she stopped? This was still the central question and, annoyingly, sleep had not brought enlightenment. Had it just been a panicky reaction, born from fear of the logical next step? Or had there been an underlying reason, something that in this confusing moment had made sense? She couldn't answer that… still could not answer and it enraged her! It had been a beautiful moment, peaceful, natural… how many such moments could they expect to have as this crisis was ever nearing its apex? And she had ruined it! For both of them! And for a reason that she couldn't even begin to grasp!

'There doesn't necessarily have to be a reason… not in this…' a decidedly Link-sounding voice supplied helpfully.

…True, but I _want_ one! Reasons are what let the world make sense! … so start making sense already, stupid world!

What had it been? Let's think of arguments that might have led my panicked brain to it's almost completely subconscious decision, no matter how stupid they are.

'Am I ashamed of my body? No. …well, alright, yes! But, I suspect, no more than most people. And…' Zelda felt her face grow hot. '… showing myself to Link… fully… the thought fills me with pleasant tingling… and nearly makes my heart explode...' She dwelt on that outrageously thrilling fantasy for a bit before wresting herself back to the far more complicated dilemma at hand.

'No distractions! Don't think of Link doing the same… _I said don't!_

Next question! Am I afraid of… the act?' Her stomach chose this moment to do some sort of painful contortion, accompanied by a rather undignified gurgling noise. 'You don't get a say in this! …so, demonstrably, yes… yes I am. But not… overly so, I don't think. It's like… holy hell, what can you possibly compare that with? …not much, and that's probably where the problem lies. I know how it works(, I think…), but I don't know what will happen, how it feels… I don't know what to expect… and that is always scary. Thankfully we live in a country and time where the act itself is not considered disreputable… even the priests of the Trinity would tell you that it's just one of Farore's gifts…

Am I afraid of the pain? Yes. I'd be an idiot if I weren't, right? But, well… the consensus is 'It's worth it', right?'

So what was it then? All three of her thoughts had been answered by 'yes but not much.' Another thought crossed her mind and her insides twisted uncomfortably.

'Am I… afraid of… him? Somehow?' She recalled him last night, let herself relive her feelings for him again. True, when he had grabbed her rump and carried her to the shore she had felt an almost animalistic hunger in him, had sensed the fiery lust in his kiss. And, Nayru help her… she blushed furiously… how much she had liked him like that… to think he got this way because of her… the thought, even now, excited her more than she could describe…

'…No. I believe I can answer that with a resounding No.' The realization relieved her considerably. But it still left the main question unanswered.

Had it simply been to fast? Had the flames of their desire carried them so quickly to new, undiscovered places that her brain couldn't follow? Had that scared her? It seemed like the most straightforward, the most obvious answer, which was why she had almost ignored it… that couldn't just be it, right? Could it truly be so… simple? …why not, actually? Was she looking for complexity in a place that could not be more grounded in simplicity?

It somehow felt right… wasn't the most elementary answer often the correct one? The ride had been too fast, she got scared and she applied the emergency break reflexively.

The more Zelda thought about it, the more confident she got in this conclusion. Simplistic, yes, but ultimately sufficient. And… it allowed the possibility that next time it might just work… Finally a pleasant, warm sensation engulfed her chest and stomach. "And when the next opportunity arises, we will try again. Until it works." Those had been his words. And now, she thought with a sheepish smile, she could maybe believe in them…

She rolled sleepily to her other side on her blanket. …something was missing… oh yeah! Another sweet little smile crept around her lips. How quickly she had gotten used to waking up next to him… Yesterday, though, they had apparently decided that, maybe, a little distance was in order when they had awkwardly gone to sleep.

Prudent, her rationality wisely thought. Moronic, her emotional side vehemently decided.

As stupid as it was, she already missed him. 'He is right there, you dolt, his mat is literally just on the other side of the campfire…' she scolded herself impatiently, but slightly amused at herself.

Finally, she opened her eyes. Morning… she saw the fascinating, always changing pattern of sunlight through the canopy of leaves on the ground before her, heard the gentle murmur of the nearby stream and the occasional high, lilting song of the Hyrule-merle… Apparently she had been so lost in thought that she hadn't perceived anything around her, not even really the stifling, humid heat that made breathing a chore. She remembered how much trouble she'd had yesterday with this insufferable heat, how it had seemed to cook her brain, and hoped that they would indeed spend the day in Ord… mostly spend the day _not_ travelling…

A soft, barely audible sigh drew her attention to across the fire. She lay with her feet towards it, so she had to look past her toes to see him. Zelda froze for a moment. She was nude and so was he! Well, mostly… apart from their undergarments, naturally, but… apparently, when they had tiredly waddled back to their mats, they hadn't even thought of properly dressing again. Which on one hand was good, or she would have certainly sweated through it during the night… but on the other hand, well… _they were nude_!

Yes, they had, more or less, undressed in front of each other yesterday but… it had been dark then! Now she could see… everything! His muscular chest, his slim, but firm looking stomach and… oh dear goddess… the very obvious bulge in his shorts! She looked away, abashed… then glanced back, you know, just to make sure that she wasn't fretting over nothing, maybe she had seen something that wasn't there, could happen to the best of us, better be certain before I jump to any conclusions, wouldn't want to make a foolish mistake, you know how it is…

… no, that was definitely there! Her cheeks and ears turned very hot all of a sudden. A veritable storm of thoughts broke into her mind, most of them would probably cause her old governess to have a heart attack. Is that usual? Does that happen every morning? Does it have something to do with last night? Why can't I bloody look away? How does one sleep with that thing? Is that painful? Can that happen during the day also? _Why can't I bloody look away?!_ How does that even work? How long does it last? Thank god I don't have to deal with that every morning! WHY CAN'T I BLOODY LOOK AWAY?! … what does it look like?…

'Good thing we decided for careful distance today' she thought wryly while her heart did some acrobatics. She swallowed and noticed that her fingers were tingling and fiddling around involuntarily, before she balled them to fists to stop that.

Okay, this wasn't fair. She couldn't just stare at him like that like some lecherous pervert! Especially when he was helpless like that! So. Look. A-. Way!

With super-hylian effort she wrenched her eyes off of Link's precarious undergarment-situation. Get it out of your mind! He'll probably wake up any second anyway, then the whole thing will calm down.

'You've felt it against your belly yesterday.' One of her inner voices supplied helpfully.

Okay, time for a cold bath! And quickly!

* * *

Zelda eased herself into the cool water as silently as she could. To her utmost surprise, the pond around her didn't immediately come to a boil… she had fully expected that to happen, so hot was her body… and her thoughts…

She had noticed Link stir as she had scrambled up, so he'd probably come look for her soon… which is why she still wore her undergarments. Taking them off would have been far too risky… She had, for a second, toyed with the idea, but… no.

She washed her face, moving her head as little as possible, so her hastily tied up hair wouldn't come undone. The cold water felt nice, just the right thing after such a humid night.

Today she would meet Link's family… she still remembered the last thing he had said yesterday… the part about her already belonging to it… it still sent pleasant shivers up and down her spine. It was almost silly how strongly she had felt about those few, simple words.

Part of his family… she had to smile at that. If someone else had told her those words, she'd probably have disregarded them as hasty, or even empty. Link knew her since June, now it was August… and there had been weeks where they hadn't seen each other… hardly enough time to build a meaningful enough relationship on to be talking about family. But… there was no doubt in her mind that he felt what he said. And there were even fewer doubts that she, truly, wanted to belong to this family of his. With every moment together, every little detail that she learned about him, this feeling got stronger.

Part of his family… Zelda hoped they would accept her… she didn't know, how exactly he thought of introducing her. Princess? Zelda? Girlfriend?

She felt a pang of nervousness. What if they didn't? What if the idea that the princess of Hyrule was their son's girlfriend was unacceptable to them? She had never succumbed to the naïve belief that all people of her country liked the royal family… Link himself was less than thrilled about the mere existence of nobility… What if his folks were the same, or had even stronger opinions? Or, also a possibility, what if they were actually scared of her? Mistrustful of her, a carefully polite, yet distanced meeting of false smiles and underlying fear…

Zelda had to swallow. An even worse thought had just crossed her mind. What if they simply didn't like her? If her status wasn't the problem, but she was? What would Link do if his family disapproved of her? Would he have to choose? By the Three, she didn't want that! What a dreadful thought…

"Err… are you decent, milady?" his voice blessedly yanked her back to reality. Though she took a while to understand what he had said from somewhere she hadn't been able to pinpoint. "Excuse me?"

"Will I survive it if I lay my eyes upon you as you currently are?" he asked in the most incomprehensible manner possible. Now, however, she understood and an impish smile crept on her lips.

"Isn't it worth the risk?" she sing-songed innocently.

There was a long silence during which she could almost feel him thinking rapidly. She grinned victoriously. This might have been the fastest she had ever made him speechless, which was in itself an accomplishment.

"You might get cold by the time I think of an answer…" he answered, accepting defeat with a low chuckle.

"No! Wait!" he then suddenly exclaimed. "I just thought of one!"

Accompanied by the rustling of leaves he emerged from a nearby bush, clothed, and eyed her sitting up to her neck in the water with a critical expression. "Hmmm…" he hmmm-ed while Zelda was both surprised at his sudden appearance and trying to predict what would come next.

"Nah. Not worth it at all." he grumbled sourly and turned away histrionically. Her initial slight embarrassment turned to surprised, playful indignation at that extraordinary cheek.

"You filthy, upstart! Parvenu! Arriviste!" she yell-giggled, stood up and launched great sprays of water at him with both hands, her shame forgotten. With a triumphant laugh he darted away to safety.

She glowered after him, vowing all sorts of revenge, while silently giggling to herself. She was relieved… now that she thought about it, she had subconsciously been afraid that things would be very awkward between them now, after their… near-experience. But, luckily, not much seemed to have changed…

She finished her so rudely interrupted bath, changed quickly into dry undergarments and dressed into her washed brown and white outfit. At some point, she really needed to acquire more clothes, other than her royal blue one with the coat-of-arms everywhere. She stalked imperiously back to the camp, where Link was already packing up their stuff. He turned to face her, probably expecting some swift retribution. Currently, though, she was much too ladylike to do any such petty action. That, of course, could change any second.

He cast her a half roguish, half apologetic little grin, like a little rascal who knows he was naughty. Her acted lordly demeanour almost crumbled right then and there at seeing that cute face. Almost.

"You just wait until I tell your good mother what a bad boy you have been!" she grumbled while pointing a threatening finger at him.

He just grinned all the wider. "She would nod sagely and agree wholeheartedly. I think she has given up trying to lead me to the path of virtue long ago." he chuckled and turned back to stowing both of their blankets. "And then, after this bonding process of finding a common enemy, you can probably proceed with tattling about me."

Zelda grinned while his back was turned. "We'll see who has more juicy stories to tell… come on, I'll do the rest. You go have a bath, or she'll think I don't take good care of her baby." she ordered and proceeded to finish packing up.

"…am I smelling again?" he asked, a tiny bit of adorable uncertainty in his voice. Hmm… be gracious or be malicious? Easy!

"It's either the horses or you, I can't tell." she explained while treating him to an extra sweet, sugary smile. His grin was decidedly lopsided and worried, so much so that she felt the need to bestow mercy. "I'm joking! …the horses have nothing on you!" she couldn't help but continue to tease. Apparently mercy was not on the menu today… Though she realized she needed to be careful. It seemed like this was something he was maybe a bit touchy about, though she had no idea why. Thankfully, he seemed to understand that she was just messing with him and his grin became more genuine. "So, this would not be the right moment to wrap you in a tight embrace, I take it?" he asked mischievously.

Zelda suddenly remembered how yesterday, when both of them had been drenched in sweat and he had picked her up, his scent had sent jolts of pleasurable lightning through her entire body… and while this memory certainly piqued her appetite, she also thought it a bad idea to give in to that right now… stopping might prove difficult…

Still… She stepped closer to him and, tiptoeing, gave him one quick peck on the lips, just to show him unmistakably that everything had been in jest. "Later…" she whispered softly, grabbed his shoulders and turned him around until he faced the pond and gave him a gentle push.

* * *

"How far away from Ord are we?" Zelda asked once they were both in the saddle.

"On horseback only three hours at max. We should definitely reach it before noon… which is good because I believe it will rain around that time." he answered while looking thoughtfully around to catch a glimpse at the sky.

"Oh?" she oh-ed, a little surprised. Link just nodded, still with that concentrated look.

"It's the humidity. I had feared it might come yesterday already, but since it didn't, it's very likely that we'll have a downpour at some point today."

"Huh… no sense in waiting then. Let's be off!" she prompted, trying to sound cheerful. She didn't want to be caught in the rain for one thing… but mostly she wanted to get the meeting with his family over with. Not because she considered it a bother, naturally, but because her nervous worries threatened to drive her insane if they continued for too much longer.

They started away, but before the little clearing with the peaceful pond glittering in the morning sun was swallowed by the forest once more, Zelda took a long last look over her shoulder. Somehow, Link had noticed and she felt his eyes on her. She gazed to him, riding right next to her, gazed to his strange kind-but-wistful smile.

"I'm going to miss that place…" she mumbled in a tiny voice and felt herself blush. His cheeks and ears too adopted a noticeable shade of pink and his smile turned to that wonderful playfulness that she loved so much. "We will stop here on the way back…" he promised softly, with just the tiniest hint of mischief in his voice that left so much room for fantasy. A room that her brain immediately tried to fill with images of last night…

Not now! she commanded herself vehemently and the fantasy stopped.

They rode in silence for a while, the sweltering heat already unbearable. Hopefully it does rain today, she thought. It can start right when we have a roof over our heads again… His parents' roof… Good goddess, what should she do? How should she act? What should she say?

'Act natural.' she answered her own question.

Great. Fine. And how exactly does one do that when you feel your heart hammering in your throat?

"Looks good, by the way…" he suddenly said, ripping her out of her introspection. Zelda's brow furrowed as she had no idea what he meant. He was still blushing… or again, now that he had given her a compliment. He read her expression of bemusement. "Your hair… up like that…" he specified, flushing even more.

Subconsciously she reached for the back of her head and found what he meant. "Oh… that…" she giggled. She had hastily pinned her hair up for her morning bath and had been so distracted that she had completely forgotten. The rushed way she had done it, it probably looked like a misshapen bird's nest. Maid Thella would probably throw a fit if she saw that. After a few precise movements her hair fell down again with a soft whoosh. Link actually made a soft sighing sound which made her look up again, eyebrow raised. He only now seemed to become aware of the noise he had made and looked almost shocked. Zelda snorted and had to laugh at the face he was making, and at the apparently involuntary sound of delight. He soon had to join in, thankfully. She loved how he was always ready to laugh at himself, which was yet another one of his qualities that set him apart from all those other noble-born youths she had known. 'Hopefully, I'm not so stuck up myself, without realizing it…' she thought to herself. 'Then again, he'd probably tell me if I was…'

The closer to Ord they got, the sparser the forest, but the higher the density of apple trees became. Link occasionally led Janna close to one and looked at the ripening fruits that already bent the branches considerably. He always did the same ritual: brush lovingly over a few branches, turn a couple of leaves over to inspect the underside and take one or two apples in hand.

She liked watching him during this. He had such a peaceful, absentminded smile on his handsome face as he caressed the plants. "It's funny…" he muttered, pulling her out of her reverie. "I was never much interested in the care of our trees… I always thought it a bit boring, if I'm honest. But now, returning here… after so much has changed in my life… I think I begin to understand…" he explained softly.

"Hm…" Zelda hummed in reply, expressing both a little amusement and a certain understanding. "Does your family have trees as well?" she asked to fill the silence which, she feared, would turn to melancholy if not stopped.

"A few, yes. The village elders would probably decide that you were a 'suspicious type' if you didn't keep any. You would stand out like a Zora afraid to get wet." he chuckled and she had to grin. Community pressure… she knew all about that.

"My mother keeps them, of course, because, you know, she's just not busy enough with raising three ungrateful children, being the village teacher, cooking, cleaning, have I mentioned ungrateful children? Father is fascinatingly handy with blacksmithing, but somehow I doubt he even knows what a plant is, other than 'it grows food'. He's a bit absentminded in some ways…" he giggled to himself again, still looking lost in thought himself as he stared at the apple in his hand. Zelda adored the way he described his folks, it betrayed so much deep, mutual love, such a happy childhood, even through the mocking complaints. He seemed to snap himself out of his trance and smiled at her almost apologetically. For a second she wanted to tell him not to stop, to keep talking, should he want to, but thought better of it. She didn't want to seem nosy…

He looked back to the tree. "Hmm… I think Ric's father wouldn't mind overly much…" he mumbled and without warning he jumped out of the saddle and hung from a branch like a monkey. Janna snorted a complaint and Zelda, slightly taken aback just stared at her knightly protector as he pulled himself up to a sitting position as if it were nothing. He stretched like a cat to reach a high bushel of the fist sized fruit. He twisted two of them off, held their stalks between his teeth, swung himself back down and gently let himself drop back onto his horse's back, which gave another nagging huff. Grinning like a thief who had just appropriated a particularly valuable bauble, he handed her one of his prizes. Smiling herself, she inspected it first. Almost entirely green, just one side had the first hints of yellow and red, firm to the touch and looking pristine. "Are they ripe yet?" she asked, knowing that this was probably a rather ignorant question in his ears.

"Not quite, but this strain is relatively early, so it's riper than most. And, well, I always preferred them still crisp and a bit sour, and not turned to mush." he explained. Then, looking a bit shy again, he added. "You don't have to, if you don't want to…"

Her answer was taking a modest bite and involuntarily wrinkling her nose a tiny bit at the fruit's tartness. It wasn't bad, not at all, just a bit unexpected. In the castle, they had often had apples in all forms and ways of preparation. They had always been about to go overripe, so she only really knew it very sweet and, as he had adequately put, as mush. This was very different, both in taste and consistency. Firm, so you could break off whole chunks with your teeth, the sweetness only just developing, but in a nice balance with fruity sourness. She liked it, but would have probably preferred it with a few more weeks to fully develop its flavour.

"Too sour?" Link asked with a certain smugness as he bit heartily into his own.

"A bit maybe but…" She took another bite. "No- oo mushh" she spoke as clearly as she could while chewing something that made her mouth contract.

He chuckled and leaned over very far in his saddle to give her a slightly shaky kiss on the lips, which rather surprised her. She made some slightly undignified squeak. "Allow me to swallow at least, before you assault me like that!" she giggled.

"Sorry. It just looked too delicious too resist." he canted with the most laughably innocent look on his face.

She raised an eyebrow at him as they spurred their horses to a walk. "You be careful, sausage knight! Or from now on I'll always chew on a clove of garlic first thing in the morning! We'll see how 'delicious' you find me then…" she grumbled in a mock huff. He gave a genuinely amused laugh. "If you think that this little ploy would prevent me from kissing you, my little dumpling, you might be thoroughly disappointed!" he breathed, as if letting her in on a juicy little secret.

"Disappointed is not the word I'd have chosen, I think…" she answered back, equally conspiratorially. They both had a good, slightly awkwardly blushing laugh.

A few minutes later they were comfortably trotting down a farm track. Ord was now clearly visible, they'd probably reach it in less than twenty minutes. Also visible were the dark grey clouds on the northern horizon… they looked like rain-clouds, if she was any judge. Hopefully they'd reach Link's home before the first drops fell…

However, the closer they got, the more nervous Zelda felt. By now even her mouth was dry and she felt her quick pulse in her throat.

Din's fire, I'm not meeting some foreign king here!

'No. You're meeting someone potentially far more important…' her increasingly annoying inner voice informed.

Link's mother sounded lovely, but also like someone whom you did not want to cross. But… how could she possibly not do that? The whole situation alone was enough to make the woman dislike her! Because of her, her beautiful boy had to brave dangers unknown to anyone alive! How the hell could Meera not feel anything but contempt?

Her insides twisted painfully at the horrible thought. The longer she thought about it, the more she just wanted to spur Celeste into a gallop and race away.

"Is everything alright, Zelda?" she heard his hesitant voice and looked at him. He was eyeing her, concern clearly visible in his expression. Suddenly self-conscious, she noticed how stiffly she was sitting in the saddle and saw how her knuckles had turned white from gripping the reins. Damn, what should she do? She could say that she didn't feel well… she could say that she shouldn't meet his family like this… but, of course, she realized these were all thoughts born from a mind in near-panic. She didn't want to hide this any more.

"No?" she joked with a hysterical sounding giggle. She was surprised how high and shaky her own voice sounded.

"Goddess, this is ridiculous!" she exclaimed and shook her head at her own silliness. "I have met lords, even kings before I was ten! I had to bear company to the queen of Strahm, who, everyone knows, truly leads her country while her husband is just a figure-head. I have orchestrated an exceedingly important trade agreement with Kirria just a few months back." she babbled, quickly and with dry lips. "And now I am so nervous at meeting your family that I nearly can't breathe!" she finished with a shuddering, squeaky voice.

"Aw, dumpling…"Link cooed compassionately and immediately led Janna to walk right next to her. He stroked her stiff, straight back with his left hand and gave her a sympathetic smile. "But why? If anyone needs to be nervous it's me! And, believe me, I am…" he chuckled softly.

"Well, what if they don't like me?" she asked, and even to her, it sounded pathetic.

"You cannot be serious, Zelda…" he chided her gently. "What could possibly make them not like you?" He sounded serious. She wanted to believe that he was serious, at least.

"I don't know! I can't think straight any more!" she whined and looked into his eyes, both embarrassed and seeking help.

He sighed and gazed back like you would at a child that was being silly. "Listen… you are the first girl I ever introduced to them." he began and instantly turned crimson… but he didn't let it stop him. "I promise, they'll be all over you, especially mother and Ria. And, you know, if you don't want to, we don't have to tell them who you are…"

"No…" she mumbled and shook her head. "I don't want you to lie for my sake."

"Thank you. I mean it. But what are you afraid of, then?" he asked, slightly relieved.

"I'm afraid of how they will react! My family is not universally liked! And… I want them to see past 'princess', past all this nonsense… I want them to see _me_! Not everyone can do that!" she explained and hoped that he would catch the veiled compliment she just gave him.

"They will. And I can tell you precisely why! Because you will simply act like you want to and not the way the princess might be expected to. They'll see this enchanting girl I'm seeing right now and no-one else!" he finished, turning from crimson to dark red, and she could feel that her own face followed suit.

"Idiot…" she mumbled, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth, both shamefaced and profoundly flattered.

His hand, still caressing her back, travelled further up and massaged her neck lightly. "I mean it… the children will be crazy about you, I guarantee it. And with them on your side, plus a little help from yours truly, how could my parents resist?" he said and smiled reassuringly.

Slowly but surely, Zelda's heart calmed and her hands stopped shaking.

"I know it's dumb, but… I don't want you to have to justify yourself in front of your family on my behalf… I'd feel like such a… I don't even know what… a fiend…" she muttered.

"I agree, it's dumb!" he said jokingly, earning a pouty look from her. "You believe they might resent you because of our mission? You think they might blame you?" he asked, hitting the nail on the head as if he had read her mind. Maybe he actually could, she wasn't quite sure at times like these… right now, though, she was thankful that she didn't have to voice this worry which, now that he'd put it into words, really did sound a bit foolish.

Still, she nodded weakly. "You're their son… and you're in danger because you must protect me…" she muttered.

"This is my decision as well, you know. You didn't drag me here in chains, aiming to use me as bait for some creature. Remember when I explained my choice to you when we left Hyrule?" he asked, a noticeably impish undertone in his voice now.

Zelda grinned softly. "I do…" she whispered and blushed. "Would you explain it again? Just to make sure I have understood it?"

She could see him gift her this incredibly wonderful, bright, gentle smile of his that she adored to no end. His hand wandered slowly, almost hesitatingly, from her neck along her shoulder, over her arm to her hand where he interlocked his fingers with her. Simultaneously, they leaned towards each other. She closed her eyes, waiting for Link's soft, bold lips against hers. She wanted it, wanted to feel the fireworks in her brain and butterflies in her belly, wanted to borrow a bit of his confidence for this incredibly threatening moment that awaited her. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, they met and it was even sweeter than she had hoped… and she was hungrier than she'd have thought. She couldn't get enough of the feeling, his scent, the sound of his breathing… she realized how shallowly the fire of lust had been buried, and how easily they were reignited. Unthinking, she freed her hand from his and brought it up to let her fingers run through his hair. She gripped it gently, absolutely loving the feeling of the thin strands in her fist. His hand, now loosed from any bond, came to rest on her waist, just above her bottom, which added yet another little jolt of excitement to the growing cascade that threatened to go out of control very quickly. He moved a little strangely, she had to lean forward to keep the joining of their ever probing lips. Then, suddenly he broke off completely and she had to let go of his hair to not be pulled from the saddle. 'What in the world is he doing and why the hell is he stopping?!' she wondered, both relieved and irritated.

She opened her eyes and saw that Janna, his horse, had taken a few casual steps forward to graze, which left Link turning in his saddle, utterly confused for a second about where the sudden cleft between them came from. The second passed and he understood. They both, simultaneously, snorted in laughter and Link launched a tirade of expletives at his peacefully eating mount. "You utterly retarded, overdeveloped cow! I should process you to dog food for interrupting, you walking, constantly shitting sack of stupidity, how dare you? Oh! Are we disturbing your lunch Janna? Please to be forgiven, madam, for our profoundly rude behaviour! I would whack you over the head, you hairy slab of cheap meat, if I thought there was anything in there worth damaging! Gah!" he yelled in powerless wrath, being thoroughly ignored by his mare. Zelda was holding her stomach and couldn't stop laughing. The sight of her sausage knight jumping up and down like an angry gremlin and cursing his completely uncaring beast to hell and back was just too much. Oh, but it did her good to laugh. She couldn't say afterwards what had helped ease her nerves more, the kiss or its dramatic failure.

* * *

They had rounded the village to get to Link's house, which was a little outside towards the north. They had prudently decided to avoid the central plaza… even if nobody recognized her, a new face always draws attention… and a new face accompanying one of their own especially so. The comparatively large house was only a minute away now, surrounded by the ever present apple trees. They could already hear the rhythmic metallic clang of his father working the forge. Zelda remembered it… how could she not? The first time they had met… She had to smile and stifle a little giggle. With her in that maid's outfit, with that stupid little hat, looking for adventure outside of her normal boundaries… and she had certainly found it, with him as her guide. She remembered liking his looks quite a bit… that certainly hasn't changed… but she also remembered her, well, amazement at his kindness… and his quick wit… even then, on this first day, that had struck her as an irresistible combination…

"Everything still good?" he asked gently, smiling at her emphatically.

Zelda smiled back and nodded. Her nerves were still tingling, but now it was more in anticipation than useless worry. Still, a thousand possible situations raced through her mind… what they might say, how she should answer, in what way they'd react…

"It's so stupid, if you think about it. All my life I have been trained to meet people, be courteous, be the perfect host or guest. But it's all just been procedure… stand right there, wait for Lord Whatnot to ascend the steps, then greet him in those exact words while smiling in just the right degree of friendliness… This I can do… act. Can I actually meet people in a way that isn't terribly stilted? No. No I can not." she explained, shaking her head at the scurrility of court life and it's so called 'manners'.

Link allowed himself a quiet chuckle. "You sell yourself too short. The only reason you're thinking that way right now, is because you're thinking about it at all. If you happened to meet them on the street by coincidence, you wouldn't even think about what to do or say, it would come naturally. As it will now, I'm sure."

"Right…" she mumbled.

"Or do you…"

"LIIIIIIIINK!" a high, child's voice pierced the hot silence around them.

Both their heads whipped around to see a young girl of about 9 or 10 dash back inside the house.

"MOOOM! LINK'S BACK!" they heard her pervasive voice scream excitedly from inside.

Zelda had to grin at the sudden bustle and Link shot her a lopsided smile that seemed to say 'I hope you didn't expect a quiet entrance.'

They were only about 10 metres away from the entrance now and Link quickly jumped out of the saddle and bent down. Just in time! The little girl, who surely must be his sister Ria, shot back out of the house and basically rammed right into Link's outstretched arms, nearly knocking him over. She had her little arms tightly around his neck and he hugged her back with both his arms… Zelda's heart instantly melted, it was the cutest thing she had ever seen. After a second or so he effortlessly lifted her up as he stood and sat her on his hips, like you would a smaller child. "Someone missed me apparently!" he teased, such a genuinely joyful grin on his face that Zelda almost got jealous.

"No." Ria answered casually, effortlessly switching gears to nearly haughty offhandedness, as if it was just some odd happenstance that she had just smashed into him.

Link only grinned wider and turned towards the house again. "Hey, big guy! You kept the house nice and chaotic while I was gone?" he shouted towards the young boy that seemed to have just appeared out of thin air. He seemed torn for a second, she could see clearly on his face. On one hand, he itched to greet his brother and get in on the action, and on the other hand he was a big boy and aloofness needed too be observed at all times. But, naturally, he ended up sprinting towards Link with a delighted giggle anyway.

Link picked him up too and sat him on the other hip. They knocked their heads together, apparently their way of saying hello, and smiled at each other. "So! Chaos or no chaos?" he repeated his question.

"Yesterday I dropped a sack of flour in the kitchen and –fwoosh- it went everywhere!" he squealed excitedly, making a big circle with his arms.

"That was almost a week ago, dum-dum." Ria scoffed with a dramatic roll of her eyes.

"Who cares?" André junior glowered at her. "Mom was REEEAALLY angry!" he exulted, and this seemed to be the most juicy bit of information at the heart of the whole matter. "Nice!" her mischievous knight smirked. He turned all three of them around towards Zelda who was still sitting in the saddle, watching the scene and enjoying herself thoroughly. Now, suddenly, she was the focus of attention of six eyes, at least 4 of them very curious. She couldn't help but smile widely at the extremely cute sight of Link carrying his siblings, all three of them some shade of blonde, all three of them with big, bright, blue eyes and all three of them beautiful. Ria had the darkest hair, which formed gentle curls around her pretty face and fell all the way down to the small of her back. André seemed to be built a bit stockier than his brother, but was by no means chubby. Other than that, he would probably be as handsome as Link one day. Both children ogled her in that wonderfully shameless way of children.

"Now look whom your big brother has brought with him!" he grinned at her wryly, as if about to unleash the beasts upon her.

"Who is she?" Ria whispered in his ear, loudly enough for Zelda to hear.

"Who do you think she is?" he asked her back while André just kept staring at her with a mix of fascination and slight wariness on his cute face.

"Is she your _girlfriend_?" the girl 'whispered' again, giggling as if this was the juiciest question anyone had ever asked.

"What do you think?" he asked again, his gaze amusedly expectant.

She thought about that for a few seconds, studying Zelda once again, who felt quite naked under the girls intense scrutiny.

"No." she delivered judgement. "She is far too pretty."

Link had a genuine laugh, as if that was just the answer he had expected. "Very true, Ri-ri, very true." He shot a playful little smile at Zelda before turning around again just quick enough that the kids had to hold on not to topple over. She could see why he had turned… and hear it.

"That ungrateful brat, one single letter he sends me explaining absolutely nothing, when everyone knows there's been an attack, oh I should give you such a wallop for making me fret, GET DOWN THERE KIDS, I NEED TO HUG THIS HELLSPAWN! AND THEN SMACK HIM!" A short, resolute, 40-ish looking woman emerged out of the house and rumbled towards her son, looking as unstoppable as an avalanche. She was almost a head shorter than him, going slowly towards corpulence in her mid-life years. She immediately locked her boy into a crushing embrace, which he reciprocated. He nearly lifted her off too.

"My goddess, let me look at you!" she yelled, drawing back just a bit to do so. "Oh, you look so dashing, my love! Did you… oh!" she suddenly stopped when she spotted Zelda, who had finally chosen to dismount. Meera looked from her to her son and back a few times. With each second there were more questions clearly written on her expression. Not all of them pleasant, it seemed. Still, she showed enormous motherly restraint by releasing Link from her arms, just in case she was embarrassing him in front of his company. Zelda liked her already.

The woman showed a smug, eyebrow-raised grin… definitely familiar to one of Link's expressions. "Don't you want to introduce us to the young lady?" she purred, looking expectantly at her first-born with so much overt glee that Zelda had to smile.

"Right, where are my manners… erm…" he stuttered and she could see his ears turn bright pink.

"I've been wondering that for years…" Meera muttered, in a way that everybody could hear it. He turned to walk the few steps towards her and, with the most adorably trusting expression, offered his hand for her. Smiling herself, and feeling her own cheeks go warm, she laid her hand into his, so he could guide her the few paces back to his waiting family. It was such a sweet, considerate gesture that she felt she might melt right then and there. It also made everything between them perfectly clear without needing a single word.

Finally, she stood in front of the woman beaming excitedly at her with a contagious smile. "Mother, this is Zelda. Err…" he managed before trailing off. Whatever carefully laid out plans he might have had, they had apparently not survived the first contact with reality. She couldn't blame him… she had no idea how to break that bit of news to the woman either.

Meera's face turned to slight confusion at first, then she looked at her new guest's face once more, a bit closer. Her jaw fell open.

"Like the princess!" Ria exclaimed excitedly. Zelda looked at her little face and had to grin. "Are you?" André Jr. asked from her other side, his face an almost pained mix of boundless interest and careful indifference. Both their eyes reminded her so much of Link's, gorgeous as they were.

"No, silly, why would she be here? Why would the princess be with Link?" Ria sighed, as if there could be nothing dumber.

"Why not? Maybe she had enough of princess-ing!" the boy shot back.

Zelda had to giggle at that. Not too far off…

"Mother, you're staring. Where are your manners?" Link asked in mock sternness. Judging by his face he was clearly enjoying seeing her silenced like this.

The woman closed her mouth and looked back and forth between the two of them. "Is th… are you… would…" she stopped herself, closed her eyes, obviously trying to get her mouth to work again.

"Why don't you take our guest inside while I see to the horses? I expect you to be at your best behaviour!" he teased her. His insolence was apparently her lifeline back through the insanity and to the shores of sense.

"You know what you can expect from me, you snot-nosed runt! Beg your pardon milady…" she added with a slightly aghast look at Zelda, who vehemently shook her head. "Please, none of that. It's just Zelda." she clarified with an inviting smile

"Well, I… erm… may I offer you to step inside? I don't know what I can serve you, though…" the woman struggled.

"Anything will be wonderful as long as it's plated in solid gold. I assure you, I'm not hard to care for…" Zelda promised, hoping to all heavens that her winning smile would show that she was being completely serious in her self-mockery and not just polite.

Meera seemed to calm a bit and her own smile became considerably less hectically forced. "Well I'll be…" she chuckled breathlessly, still very much caught in disbelief.

"I'll be right with you, my dear, just... _If you're pulling my leg here, I swear I am going to be mad like you've never seen before_!" she hissed in Link's direction, but Zelda could see that she didn't really believe that she was being had.

He stifled a giggle and put his arm around his mother's shoulders. "I'm not. Not this time." he assured, almost wistfully. "We will explain everything, but for that, we need to sit down, believe me. Would you accommodate her?"

"What kind of question is that? Do you really believe I would even think of turning away your lady-friend, you dumb boy? Go! See to the horses, I won't embarrass you while you're gone, I promise. Go!" she ruffled through his hair and gently pushed him away.

"Right. I'll also go greet father on the way." he muttered as he got his beautiful mess back in 'order'.

"Oh that terrible man, where is he? How can he not come to greet you?" Meera huffed.

"He's washing, mother. So he doesn't bring half the smithy with him, as I remember you saying repeatedly?" he murmured patiently, barely managing not to roll his eyes.

"Yes yes, you go already. Come, my dear, I'll get you some lemon water to wash away the dust of the road! I was in the middle of preparing lunch, but I'm sure I'll find something for you, if you're hungry." she beckoned with a careful, but genuinely kind smile.

"Thank you, but please, don't let me keep you, if you're busy. Some water will be fine." Zelda assured her and let herself be ushered towards the entrance of the wooden house.

"Nonsense! Do you know what an earful I'd get from that boy if I didn't treat you properly? And rightly so, I'd say!" she pronounced with her chest seeming to swell with pride.

"So are you Link's girlfriend now?" Ria asked beside her. Both of them had fallen in step next to her and were still eyeing her with great interest. Zelda could almost feel Meera's ears perk up so she wouldn't miss a single detail of her answer. Talk about pressure!

"Yes. Yes I am." she replied with as much confidence as she could, and, despite herself, felt an exceedingly pleasant warmth spread in her chest.

"Why?" the girl wanted to know with a slightly doubtful expression.

Oh Nayru! Easy question! Terribly difficult question! Goodness, how do you answer that?!

"Because I like him." she found herself saying spontaneously, and had to grin at herself. Definitely not wisdom in the classical sense, but still… there's a certain wisdom in simplicity.

"Hmmm" Ria nodded sagely, as if it was all clear now. Well… maybe it really was, actually… "There's a boy I like, but he's dumb." she added conversationally.

Zelda stifled a laugh and bent down to whisper into the girl's ear. "Well, boys are a bit dumb." And Ria giggled furtively into her hands and looked at her conspiratorially.

They passed through a small vestibule into what appeared to be the main room of the house. It had the dining table, a small area with a neat looking ensemble of sofas and a small table in the middle and still enough space for children to scuttle about. Meera's kitchen was half hidden in a nook at the back wall. It looked unpretentious, well lived-in, but orderly and well designed. And it was cosy, a place that seemed to actively invite you to put your feet up and forget about the world after a long day… something Zelda rarely saw in her world, where every rug, chair, table, even the floor had to be so ludicrously luxurious that you were afraid to touch it.

"I, well, I hesitate to tell you make yourself at home because, well, it's not…" Meera said, cordially but insecure as well.

"Madam, I promise you, I would infinitely prefer even a dusty wooden box covered with cobwebs over a golden chair that protocol forbids me to sit in." Zelda assured.

The woman smiled, both amusement and quite a bit of sympathy carried on her expression.

"I think we'll settle for the middle, hm?" she offered with a motherly wink of both of her eyes.

Zelda nodded gratefully. "Where may I sit?"

"Wherever you want, dear. I really do mean it, when I say make yourself at home." Meera reinforced.

"Thanks, but where am I least in your way, since you need to work." Zelda clarified her earlier question.

Meera looked at her for a second before laughing out loud. "Now that's a sentiment that I haven't heard in ages. Would you mind teaching it to that son of mine?" she chuckled.

Zelda, too, giggled and gave a shrugging nod. "I may try. How high, do you think, are my chances of success?" she replied innocently.

"Hah! Immeasurably higher than mine, dear. Immeasurably higher…" she answered, looking slyly to the side as if briefly lost in memory. "Well, since you ask so nicely, please have a seat on the sofa. I'll be right there with your drink."

Zelda nodded and suppressed the urge to tell her once again not to make a fuss. She sat down on the soft pillows, her hands on her knees in the awkwardly mannered way one adopts when in someone else's house for the first time.

The children hovered close by, apparently unsure what to do. Unsurprisingly, they had noticed the slight reverence in their mother's behaviour, sensitive as only kids are, and were a bit intimidated.

"Would you like to sit with me?" Zelda asked with an inviting smile, her head cocked.

Ria's face immediately broke into a bright smile and she plopped herself down next to her. André, still maintaining maximum aloofness, or, maybe, just a bit shy, walked slowly to the back of the sofa and chose to hang over its backrest to her other side.

"I'm Ria, by the way." the girl informed her, as if it had just occurred to her.

"Nice to meet you, Ria." She turned to her right again, where the boy was deliberately not looking at her directly, but stole glances out of the corner of his eye. "And you're André, correct?"

He looked at her as if she had just performed a feat of magic. "How d'you know?"

"Link told me about you, both of you, naturally." she explained softly.

"Right…" the boy said, apparently trying very hard to make a weighty decision, judging by his face. Zelda wondered, what he was planning.

Meera returned with a small wooden tray with three intricately adorned pewter cups. They looked like they would be the finest she had that were in no risk of being broken by the kids. Zelda felt a pang of sympathy for the woman that she had _not_ given her a different, more precious drinking vessel than the one she gave her children.

"Here you go, dear, I hope it's cool enough. Thankfully it will finally rain today, drive back some of that dreadful heat. You two don't be a bother to our guest, now, you hear?" she added sharply.

"Thanks so much! And don't worry, they're no bother, they're lovely!" she said and meant it.

"Pff. They sure are. They often choose to be quite the opposite, however!" the Meera chuckled and gave both of her kids an affectionate, motherly death-threat grin, before walking back to the kitchen. "You tell me whenever you need something, dear. Just yell, like everyone else!"

"I shall refrain from despatch a servant, then!" Zelda couldn't help but jest, then hoped that her self-aware humour would not miss its target. She needn't have feared.

Meera turned around again with a greatly amused, if not slightly disbelieving expression. Upon seeing in her guest's face that she had indeed heard correctly she burst out laughing. "Farore's mercy, you are adorable! Oh dear, oh dear… heeheehee!" she giggled while turning back around.

Zelda looked at both her companions on the sofa in turn; they still had an expression of mild indignation for being presented with the sheer possibility of not being anything but a pure joy for her.

Zelda nodded her head furtively at the kitchen and, with a face showing mild resignation, shook her head. "Mothers…" she whispered conspiratorially, to the great, giggling delight of the two.

She took two cups and handed them to the children. André finally decided that the place next to her was safe enough and clambered over the backrest to sit down. They both drank with obvious gusto. Lemon water, apparently, was not the norm. Zelda too took a swig. Only now did she realize how thirsty she was. Aaahh, wonderfully cool and refreshing! Zelda wondered how Meera did that. Did they have an ice chest? If yes, than the family must actually be pretty well off. Not even all castles had one…

She felt a tentative tug at her blouse over her right shoulder. "Erm… miss?" André said with the sweetest shy expression on his face.

"Yes, Mr. Andrésson? Come on, just call me Zelda!" she grinned and had to resist ruffling his hair. She didn't know if the boy would like that. He gave a blushing smile. "Erm… have you seen my brother fight?" he finally asked.

Dark memories immediately threatened to rise of the last two times she had to see him in combat. Zelda forced them back down vehemently and, to her own surprise, succeeded. Her mind returned to the day of the tourney, before everything had gone awry, and she smiled. "Yes I have. I saw him during the tournament." She confirmed.

"Really?!" His eyes instantly shone with excitement. "Is it true that he had to battle a giant? Is it true that he won? And that the princess made him a knight?" The silence he had shown earlier seemed to have broken, Zelda thought to herself. Thankfully, the good news had travelled too, not only the bad.

"All true!" she said with a smile. "Though he's not quite a knight yet. He's an aspirant. That means…"

"I kno-ow!" the boy interrupted impatiently, rolling his eyes while she had to stifle a laugh. "But that's so neat!" he exclaimed, promptly interested again. "I wanna be a knight too! Did Link get even better?"

"Well, I don't know how good he was when you last saw him, but since becoming a knight-aspirant, he has been training with Sir Alistair, the blademaster, and he's the best there is! So I'm sure he's even better now!" she confirmed, magically infected by the boy's enthusiasm.

"That's awesome!" he exclaimed.

"He told me you are getting quite good as well…" she probed.

André drew back a little, bashful again. "Well… I guess… a bit… if my friends and me spar…"

"My friends and _I_ , André!" Meera's voice thundered from the kitchen.

"…my friends and I spar" he continued without skipping a beat, "I win more often than not, but… I'm nowhere near as good as Link is yet. When we fight, he sometimes let's me get a hit in, but it's obvious that he's doing it on purpose. I've often snuck up to Sir Russel's house to watch… He's so _fast_!" the boy explained with fire in his eyes.

Zelda had to grin widely. It seemed Link had a very ardent fan.

She felt another tug, this time from her left. Apparently Ria felt left out.

"Zelda? Can we go see your horses?" she asked. "Yes, pleeeaase?" André agreed, jumping up and down.

Before she could respond, it resounded from the kitchen: "After lunch!"

"But mooom!" both of them yelled in perfect cadence. "Later it'll raaaiiin!"

There was an audible, heavy sigh. "Go on then. But if you're not inside the instant I tell you to, I'll let Link have all your food, understood?" she barked, poking her head out so they could see her face.

"Yes ma'am!" they yelled, jumped up and, each one grabbing one of Zelda's arms, pulled her upright. "Easy!" she giggled, but they relentlessly yanked her towards the kitchen to the rear exit. Having to almost grab the doorframe to stop her forced run, she gazed back to Meera. "Link and I still need to explain…" she began, but was interrupted. "After, honey. We'll all have much calmer minds with our bellies full." the woman soothed. "Go on! Or they _will_ try carrying you!"

Outside, Zelda could see that the clouds were very close now. It hadn't cooled down yet, but it probably wouldn't be long. Just as they rounded the corner, she still being pulled by the enthusiastic kids, they bumped into Link and the man that could only be his father. She stumbled into their field of view and actually had to hold on to the children for a second so she wouldn't fall. Not the most dignified entrance…

André senior really was a giant; nearly two heads taller than Link, and at least twice as wide, a real mountain of muscles. His face was framed by grey, curly hair and an impressive beard. As Link had said, at first glance you might be intimidated quite a bit… until you got to his eyes. They were the exact same as all his three children's, gentle, kind and thoughtful.

"I see you've already been taken possession of." Link chuckled as he watched the three of them.

"Zelda's going to show us her horse!" Ria explained, her voice making it clear that she expected to be told that they should go on.

"Go ahead you two, I'll be right behind. But don't go too close yet! The horses don't know you and might be nervous!" Zelda said and earned an earnest nod before they ran off.

Link cleared his throat. "Father, may I introduce you to Zelda." he said, putting his hand on her shoulder in an unmistakably affectionate way that made a pleasant shudder run down her back. "Zelda, this is my father and master in the art of blacksmithing, André, son of Arrin. I have already taken the liberty of telling him, who you are…" he added almost apologetically.

André nodded, not quite bowing, but still considerably deeper than you would normally greet someone. "I was told by my son to treat you as Zelda and no-one else. I want to confirm that this is your wish." the big man said calmly, his voice deep, as expected.

"It is, sir!" she confirmed, a bit daunted by him, despite herself.

He nodded slowly. "Welcome then, Zelda. My hearth and roof are yours." And it was done, as simple as that. The matter was settled for him and she couldn't help but instantly hold him in high regard for it. "I honour your hospitality and offer my thanks." she replied with the traditional words. He showed her a hint of a smile, almost imperceptible under his beard; it shone mostly through his eyes.

His gaze turned to Link and she thought she saw a glint of amusement in the mix on his face. "Link, I would like to have a word with you. Come." he ordered calmly and walked past them both.

"Understood." Link answered and, with a slightly excusatory look for Zelda, he followed.

"Don't talk yet about… you know… I want to be part of that!" she said, possibly a little louder than necessary. The thought of, once again, being excluded from important discussions that directly involved her made her stomach cramp painfully. Even though she knew that he wouldn't do that to her, the weeks of total debarment had apparently left her with a fear great enough that it wanted to be heard.

Both father and son turned around with a slightly questioning look. Had she been this loud? She felt herself blush a bit, but André showed a hint of a smile again. "I was told we had something to discuss. Do not worry. Neither of us would speak of a matter this important without you. It is simply that I want to have a talk with my son. As men."

Zelda could see both Link's face and posture suddenly turn fiercely proud. It was so endearing that it almost overshadowed how profoundly embarrassed she felt for, well, accusing these two of being like her father. An allegation that, she vowed, she would be much more careful with in the future.

On a spontaneous whim, and somewhat as an apology, (and because he looked so cute right now, if she was honest) she stepped close and gave Link a tiny little kiss on the cheek. Then, before her skin had the chance to blush furiously, she turned and followed the kids.

She found them standing in front of rather disused seeming stables, looking excitedly at the horses poking their heads out while whispering to each other.

"So! Do you like them?" Zelda asked, grinning at their completely entranced gazes.

Both nodded. "Mom and dad don't have horses…" André mumbled.

"She can see that, silly, look! There's only the two they came on!" Ria huffed, putting her hands on her hips; a gesture she no doubt learned from her mother.

André didn't even react. Apparently he figured stoicism was the best way to deal with his sister's flippant remarks. He might have been right… his lack of reaction seemed to annoy her to no end.

Zelda knelt down between the two so her head was on their level, putting one hand on one shoulder each. "So! Whom do you want to meet first?"

"What are their names?" Ria asked.

The older girl removed her hand again to point at her white horse. "That is Celeste, my dear friend. And that is Janna, who has been kind enough not to through your brother off and on his face." she explained, which earned her a giggle.

"So both mares then?" André wanted to know.

The amount of eye-rolling indignation coming from Ria was perceptible, even without seeing it. "Oh my goddess! They're both girl names, you dummy!" she sighed dramatically.

"Well, how am I supposed to know what the heck a Celeste is? How do you even know?" he yelled, exasperated.

"Because _I_ am older!" Ria pronounced with haughtiness that would put most noble ladies to shame.

Zelda laughed and ruffled both of their hair to get them to stop. "Come on, you two scamps. Let's go meet them!"

As she had expected, André was more interested in Link's mount while Ria wanted to see hers. The girl was bold and didn't need much encouragement. She seemed to be naturally good with animals as her approach and careful touch didn't faze Celeste whatsoever. André was a little more hesitant. Zelda could see that he wanted to move closer and make friends, but he seemed just a tiny bit too intimidated by the large animal. And, since he was still little, he would have to stretch to even reach Janna's nose.

"May I introduce you?" she asked him kindly.

"I dunno…" he answered carefully, biting his finger while looking at the horse with big eyes.

"Come here…" she said, grabbed the boy under his armpits and lifted him onto her shoulders. He was heavier than she had anticipated, but she managed.

"Eerrmm…" he muttered, a little unsure.

"Look!" Zelda stepped closer so she could stroke over the horse's nose and forehead. She could feel a little tension from Janna, probably because of the weird, tall, two headed monster that suddenly stood before her. But she calmed under her touch and when she identified her smell.

"Here, give me your hand." she said softly, took André's hand and guided it slowly towards the beast's nose. She showed him where he could pet her and where he should not. When she looked up, she could see a wide grin on his face as he was captivated by the feeling on his hands.

With the initial reserve overcome, he too was much bolder and wanted to know every detail of caring for them. She showed both of the children all she could think of, choosing Celeste as guinea-pig, because her trust in Zelda was absolute. The kids hearkened and asked intelligent questions, which made teaching them all the more fun. Lastly, they all had a massive giggling fit when Celeste relieved herself, almost as if she wanted to give a worthy finale to the demonstration.

Back outside, the sky overhead was already quite threateningly dark. It must have been about half past twelve and the kids were filled with boundless energy, which they naturally had to exert on their new acquaintance. Zelda later couldn't tell how long they had all romped around; barely a second passed without one of the rascals hanging from one of her limbs or trying to climb up onto her shoulders. Between swinging them by their hands, lifting them up and many tickle-fights, Zelda felt boundless joy. It was exhausting as hell, but immeasurably paradisaic. She was completely lost in the children's exulting glee, one seemingly endless stream of laughs from all three of them.

In the end, the all lay on the grass, she in the middle, flanked by the two, lying in her arms. Ria was, naturally, babbling something about anything, at the back of her mind Zelda wondered how that girl could survive without taking breaths, while André was just snuggling up to her. She was barely done catching her breath before 'splotch' a big drop of water landed right on her cheek.

"Ew, it's starting to rain!" the little girl yelled, jumped up and impatiently beckoned for the others to stand up.

"Wait!" André suddenly shouted urgently. "I wanted to show you something before we go back!"

"There's raindrops falling already, look!" Ria said and started to run for the house.

"It won't take long, I promise! Pleeeaase?" the boy asked, giving her puppy eyes. Dear goddess, Zelda felt powerless before that look, it just melted her heart.

"Fine, but it needs to be quick!" she conceded, to which he nodded happily, grabbed her hand and led her away as more heavy drops fell around them.

"MOM'S GOING TO YELL AT YOU, YOU DUMMY!" his sister screamed after them.

André pulled her to the backside of the stables. There was a tiny tool-shed there, but nothing particularly exciting. "So… what did you want to show me?" she asked, wondering what he planned.

He shuffled his feet a little bit before answering. "Weeell… I actually just wanted to ask you something…" he mumbled while looking at the floor.

"Go ahead, ask!" she prompted. This was clearly something that bothered him quite a bit to lure her here and now curiosity had taken her.

"I, err… I think you really are the princess… despite what you said…" he mumbled, his beautiful blue eyes that were so alike Link's looked up at her cautiously. Zelda had to smile. She actually hadn't denied it, but neither had she confirmed it. Link and her had decided that the kids didn't need to know… not because they were any safer if kept ignorant, but it wasn't really fair to expect two small children to keep such a secret, when most adults weren't able to keep their mouth's shut. Oh dear, what was she going to answer to those keen, honest eyes?

"Why do you think that?" she asked, cocking her head.

"I saw the princess when she came through here. You're just as pretty as she is…" he stated while a little blush bloomed on his cheeks and nose.

It was silly, but that adorable little face made her come to a decision. It wasn't meant as flattery, not really. His child's eyes simply let him see what was in front of him, unclouded by expectations or what older people in their perceived knowledge thought possible or impossible. He just stated what he saw and probably wondered how everyone else was so blind to not see it. She knelt down so she was on his level and put her hand gently on his head. "If I tell you, you must swear that this stays a secret. Just between the two of us and no-one else, André. Can you swear it? As a knight?" she asked, even though she already knew the answer.

"I swear it!" he pronounced with appropriate gravitas, his expression couldn't have been more serious.

She smiled at him and leaned in to whisper in his ear. "I really am princess Zelda. You are right."

The boy soaked up the information and his little face broke out in the most delighted smile imaginable. She knew, when she saw that expression, that she didn't have to remind him of his promise. This was about as serious as it could get for him… he would not break it, no matter what.

His smile faltered a little, and he looked a bit doubtful. "Does… that mean I have to kneel now?" he asked, hopeful that he hadn't done something wrong.

Zelda giggled at his adorableness, cupped his cheek with her hand and gave him a tiny peck on the other one. "No. _You_ don't."

* * *

When they had finally made it back to the house, both of them were quite wet, even though she had tried to shield the boy from the rain's onslaught. She could see that Meera was about to launch a tirade at her son, but thankfully Zelda could convince her that their little excursion had been of paramount importance, so she only had a low grumble.

"Anyway!" she said once she had calmed down, which seemed to take her only a nanosecond. "Whatever my son and you are up to, the bigger one, I mean, I figured there are some things I might help you with. Do you have something I should wash? Something to mend?"

"Aren't you plenty busy already, madam?" Zelda chuckled, giving her damp hair a cursory wipe with a proffered cloth.

"Bah! Cooking's done, it just needs to finish in the oven, which will take 45 minutes. And I get bored quickly, and when I get bored, I get unpleasant." the woman stated, grinning. "Come!"

Zelda procured her second outfit, the blue one, and followed her to the washkitchen. "That's all?! Two sets? You have to be kidding me, dear!"

The princess explained, subdued, how she had really only ever owned dresses, and these were the only trousers she had.

Meera shook her head. "Protocol…" she spat and made a face as if she had just been forced to smell something disgusting. "Dresses are fine and all, but I thought we were no longer in the dark ages. Put the women in wide, bulky dresses, and make them heavy too, so they can barely move! Why should they need to? They're just there to look pretty anyway! Bah!" she fumed. Zelda wondered at that sudden outburst, which seemed to show a certain knowledge of court.

"Well, you rolled around in the dirt with kids, so that needs a wash!" she pronounced while tugging at Zelda's blouse. "Leave that blue one here and follow me. I'm sure I can find something that fits!"

They migrated back and towards the stairs leading upwards and Zelda felt like a chick, dazedly following mother goose. At the pace the woman was going, she had no doubts that living with her rarely got boring.

Just as she was about to ascend the stairs, Link turned the corner. "Ah! I almost expected I'd have to go find you in the rain when I saw my brother lead you away. What are you doing?" he asked with a slightly bashful grin.

"Well, _you_ -" she began and tapped him gently on the nose. "-had your man-talk. Now _we_ will have a girl-talk!"

He actually looked just a tiny bit sulky, as if he had hoped that he could occupy her for a while. 'Dear Nayru, is he jealous already?' she thought, stifling a giggle. Like before, she gave him a tiny peck, on the nose this time, just to pacify baby Link for now.

She walked up the stairs, throwing one last glance at him over her shoulder, smiling impishly.

"In here, love!" Meera's voice came from the far door, which was ajar. It was clearly their bedroom, also neat and tidy, with handsome furniture made out of wood. The woman had already begun laying out different clothes on the bed.

"Close the door, dear, and we'll see how much I can give you in good conscience. Some of the stuff is pretty old…" she said kindly while rummaging around in one of her many cupboards and dressers.

"That's so kind of you, madam, but there's really no need to. We got a bit of money, we can buy…" Zelda didn't get farther.

"Poppycock! I assume you are not here to stay for long and I'll be damned if I let you leave with just two sets of clothing, one of which you can't really wear because of the crest on it."

Damn, this woman was astute! At first glance you might think her just an energetic but otherwise unremarkable housewife, but that was obviously not the case.

"Oh, and, if you call me 'madam' one more time, young lady, I shall proceed to call you nothing but 'your highness' for the rest of the day!" she threatened and smirked at her guest over her shoulder. Zelda had to smile back and nodded in agreement.

"Well, get those dusty things off, already, it's time to see what might fit!" Meera prompted.

The girl hesitated, a tad embarrassed. Stupid, she thought. My maids have seen me completely naked all the time… but this was just different! It was Link's mother!

'So what? What is she going to do, tell Link what you look like?' her inner voice scolded.

No, of course not, that's ridiculous!

'So what, then?' the voice asked impatiently… and it was right. The woman was enthusiastically helpful, kind… and her almost carefree forwardness was refreshing and rather intriguing after a life of dainty propriety.

Still feeling herself flush a tiny bit, she removed her clothes until she was just in her undies. Meera was still fussing around, mumbling to herself, not bothering to look her way. "Why don't you try the green trousers? They were mine, believe it or not, from a time when I was a bit less plump."

Zelda did as she was bidden and, surprisingly, they fit pretty well. A tiny bit wider than her own pair, but, moving about, that might actually not be a bad thing.

"Din's fire! At your age I would have killed for skin like yours!" Meera chuckled as she put one more set on the bed.

The two 'girls' had quite a bit of fun dressing Zelda up, while tattling about both mindless and serious topics. Two more complete outfits were found, all fitting well, except that Meera seemed to always have been better endowed at the chest and hips, which Zelda couldn't help comment on.

"Nonsense, dear! Once you have a man, no matter the size, he'll want to play with it all!" she giggled, while Zelda instantly turned fire-red.

"Heehee, sorry dear! I assume you are not used to such base talk?"

"Not really…" she admitted, having to giggle too. "Mostly from my cousin, but, well, she's one year younger…"

"Well, I'm a direct old baggage with no time for mincing words. Don't you worry, love. I've seen how he looks at you." The woman smirked, but kindly.

Zelda smiled lopsidedly and felt a very agreeable warmth both in her face and in her belly.

"How was it with you?" she asked, in an attempt to divert attention from herself for a while.

"With André? Huh! Have you seen the big oaf? It took me nearly three months of not-so-subtle prodding to get his thick, iron head open to the idea, that I might want something from him! And another six until he finally stopped being _gallant_ , the buffoon!" she blustered, but with an expression that spoke of very fond memories. "But then… heehee! There was no stopping us!" she finished, actually blushing a bit herself.

Zelda couldn't deny that she was quite intrigued, even though it was exquisitely awkward. Though still surpassable, as she found out.

"That reminds me… and, you know, if you say that this is none of my business, you're completely correct, but just to be sure… do you know about protection?"

Even days later Zelda wasn't sure what had been more embarrassing: The question itself, or admitting that, before their departure, she had informed herself intricately… you know, just to be sure…

* * *

Dinner was ready soon after, thank Farore's mercy. And, unsurprisingly, it was breathtakingly good. A tender cut of beef with a crust of crumbs, mustard and herbs, in gravy with onions, carrots and turnips and roast potato as garnish.

Zelda could see on Link's adorable face that he was in heaven. And since all three children wolfed down their food mercilessly, she had no qualms about throwing manners to the wind and doing the same. She would certainly not let these three hogs steal away her share of this deliciousness!

"I take it milady is pleased?" Meera teased her, obviously regaled herself. Zelda only found time to nod and sigh in agreement.

When the table was emptied and the dishes washed, it was time to discuss more unpleasant matters. The children were forcefully ejected from the room, much to their useless protests, and they all sat down around the dinner table again. And then they began, both Link and she, to tell the most far-fetched story imaginable, a tale of great evil, young heroes, nightly assassins, magic swords and, to top it all off, dragons.

To their immense credit, both of his parents listened earnestly, with only the occasional question. Link showed his aspirant's badge and her father's official certificate with his seal and signature, just to show that they were indeed here with the king's blessing. Zelda remembered the first questioning glance Meera had shot her a few hours back… the woman had, accountably, been afraid that her dear son might have thrown away his career for a pretty face… and when that pretty face had turned out to be attached to a few kilos of princess, she had naturally been shocked. Well, at least they could allay that fear… a shame, though, that they had to introduce others.

When all was said, nearly all details were told, they sat in a long silence; Meera absentmindedly caressing the back of Link's hand, André Sr. leant back with his arms crossed, frowning thoughtfully.

"You are sure that it has to be you?" Meera asked, hoping against what she already knew.

"We believe so. No alternative has presented itself… and we cannot wait for one." Link said softly.

"Do you know how much time remains?" his father grumbled.

Zelda shook her head. "Sadly, no. As we said, we are up against an enemy who probably knows a lot more than we do."

The two parents looked at each other for a long moment, apparently engaged in non-verbal communication.

"Is there a way to help you?" André asked, his deep voice sincere.

'They believe us!' Zelda thought with immense relief. 'They have trust in their son and just believe!' For the first time since she got here, she felt the nasty sting of envy. This was family! Not the distant, almost uncaring detachment of her father, who might grace her with a curt nod whenever, once a week, they saw each other in passing. This was trust, and closeness, and unconditional loyalty… and love. And she knew she yearned for it… she had gotten a taste of it today, a sweet, sweet taste, but she wanted more! Lost in her introspection she looked at Link, talking quietly to his parents, she couldn't even hear what his words were. She just suddenly wanted to see him, see every wonderful little detail of his handsome face, his intelligent eyes… He had called her part of his family… now, only just now, she felt like she even began to understand how much that meant.

* * *

Afternoon came and went. Understandably, the mood was a little subdued, though they all did their best not to let the children feel it. Only at about six in the evening the rain slowly but surely lost its vigour. Zelda and Ria were sitting inside and took turns styling each other's hair. The girl had been absolutely delighted when she had been allowed to braid the older one's luxurious golden strands. Zelda, who had always preferred simple hairdos, was not the best at showing Link's sister the latest fashion in Hyrule, but she didn't seem to mind.

As soon as the weather had cleared sufficiently, Link and André Jr. were outside for a quick bout with sticks. 'Boys and their toys…' she thought with a mischievous grin, the double entendre not lost to her.

It was about seven when she ended their coiffeur-game. After so many hours with all members of his family, she had just the lightest touch of desire to be with him. She looked outside and, after a brief search, found him sitting on the still damp hip-high wall next to the path leading to the village centre, with his straight back towards her, looking into the evening sun. He seemed peaceful and she wasn't sure whether she wanted to disturb him. He probably was drinking in all the impressions of his home, all the sounds, the smells, the feelings, to be ready when they continued their journey tomorrow. She was sure this was important to him…

Zelda was about to go back inside when she felt a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Would you take this to my Link, dear?" Meera asked, holding a plate with pie. One plate… two pieces… with two forks… Meera nodded softly, knowingly, and smiled. Zelda couldn't suppress a grin that said 'busted!'

She took the plate and the woman cupped her cheek for just a brief moment, a simple gesture, a sign of encouragement… and her blessing, maybe…

Balancing the plate, Zelda took a big step to climb over the wall. Link jumped up. "Don't! You'll get wet!" he warned her.

"Don't care!" she answered happily and sat down on the damp brickwork. "Sit back down!"

With a wry smile, he followed and sat down just close enough that their arms would brush against each other more often than not.

"Oh wow… mother must have made that just for me…" he exulted upon seeing the pie in her hand.

"Apple pie, I presume?" she giggled. It was a pretty safe bet, with all the incriminating trees around.

"No, no… _The_ Apple Pie. With capital letters." he explained reverently. "Here!" he said excitedly while separating a mouthful and holding it up with his fork.

'My goddess, I could eat you up right now as well!' she thought, while looking into his glowing eyes, the sunlight shining on his ravishing face and reflecting from his hair. She leaned towards the proffered fork and, slightly tentatively, took it in her mouth.

Oh dear! The perfect explosion of pure apple flavour, mixed with the wonderful texture of short pastry occurred. Wow, if there ever was time, she desperately needed to ask Meera for cooking lessons.

Eagerly, Zelda took her fork and treated Link to a similar portion of her piece. "Now you!"

For a delicious while, they were just blissfully eating, while occasionally, playfully, feeding each other.

Afterwards, Link patted his stomach, visibly satisfied. "And? Everything went better than expected, didn't it?" he asked.

She nodded, certainly thankful for it. "Absolutely. Your family is so wonderful… all of them!" she sighed, still feeling a bit of that nasty envy, but mostly genuine happiness. "Well, you certainly made an impression on them, Zelda!" he chuckled, and started gently petting her back.

"You think so?" she asked tentatively.

"Are you kidding me? My mother looks like she wants to adopt you! She is probably picking up the shards of all her opinions of me, thinking that maybe she hasn't completely failed in my upbringing, now that I've done something so right!" he joked, nudging her shoulder with his. Zelda giggled, her face growing warm. "Ria thinks of you as a big sister already and André junior, I believe, is completely smitten with you, head over heels." he continued, smiling.

She laughed, remembering the boy's adorable face when she had shared her 'secret' with him. "Well, it seems you have quite the dangerous rival, then!"

"Oh dear me! I am doomed! Bested by my own flesh and blood! Oh, woe is me!" he play-acted, much to her delight. "Yeah, well… he certainly is cuter than you…" she teased.

He chuckled and made a conceding nod. "True… how can I ever compete?" He put his arm around her shoulder, so tenderly that she wanted to melt.

"Don't worry…" she said softly, shuffled as close to him as she could and rested her head on his shoulder. "You don't have to. You're plenty cute too…"

He put his head against hers and both closed their eyes, simply enjoying the last rays of the sun together, and the feeling of familial closeness.


	36. Chapter 35

**Hey guys and girls! The next two weeks I will be travelling, so I'm not entirely sure how that will affect my updates… I suspect it will though, so please bear with me!**

 **Until then, have fun!**

Chapter 35

Link

Something moved against his right side, stirring him awake.

Oh! Hello…

Zelda's back was snuggled against his flank…her seemingly infinite mass of blonde hair spread across the floor, herself and him. The early sunrays poking through his window were reflecting on it, imbuing the whole small room in golden light. He looked at his bed, which had obviously been spurned at some point. He had to smile.

When they had finally returned inside after his mother's indescribable apple-pie, the question of Zelda's quarter for the night had naturally arisen. Link had, of course, immediately offered his room, saying that he could sleep in the living room couch. She had protested, as he should have expected… "I can't just eject you from your room, certainly not! I will sleep on the sofa!"

And then came his dear mother, interjecting like the busybody she is, with a to date unknown expression of amused disbelief on her face.

"You young people, dear Nayru! Are you children who can't control themselves? You can share a room without the whole house in danger of getting woken up, right? Farore's mercy, want to control the fate of the world but are afraid they can't control their own hormones!" she chuckled, leaving both of them severely embarrassed… which had naturally been her aim, devilish woman that she was. The only rescue had come from his father, who had simply, dryly asked "Could we back then?"

That had shut her up… for about three microseconds… which, in Meera-time was probably about 6 months.

In the end, both faces a deep crimson, they had agreed that, yes, they could share a room without succumbing to temptation. Still, Link had insisted on sleeping on the floor on a few piled up blankets, while she got the bed… it seemed his insistence had not reached all that far into the night though, he thought smilingly. He certainly wasn't complaining… he could hardly think of a better way to wake up than with this gently breathing dream snuggled against him.

Link raised his head slightly, so he could catch a glimpse of her face… there never was enough, he just _had_ to see it!

…he didn't think he had ever seen her so peaceful…her face completely smooth, not the tiniest crease of worry anywhere, her mouth slightly open and just a miniscule spot of drool on her pillow. He grinned. Someone was apparently sleeping very soundly! It was such a cute sight, he almost wanted to draw it! Though, probably, she'd have something against a picture of herself, sleeping and drivelling.

She had been pretty tired in the end. He was sure that, all in all, she had enjoyed meeting his family, contrary to all her initial reservations. But it had doubtlessly been demanding, both physically, thanks to the kids, and mentally, thanks to dear mother. Zelda had pretty much fallen to a deep slumber as soon as she had lain down on his bed, they hadn't even had time to talk. He felt even more charmed and honoured that she, apparently dead tired, had made the effort to climb down to him, careful not to wake him up. His little angel… his cute dumpling…

…great, now he couldn't wait until she woke up, just to look in to her eyes, to hear her voice… the urge to gently caress her with kisses until she softly rose from her sound sleep was near irresistible. But, naturally, he didn't.

He lay his head back down on the pillow, acutely aware of her slow, steady breathing and of every point of his body where they touched. Meera had given her one of her old nighties, a simple white, long-ish one… soooo there was not much separating him from her perfect, porcelain skin…

No! None of that. At least not now… For now he simply wanted to enjoy her perfection, the feeling of togetherness, but not in that way… and without his manhood thinking it needed to wake up.

A strange feeling rose in his chest, even up to his throat… urgent, exciting, but not unpleasant… He remembered the talk with his father yesterday… the man to man one… He felt slightly embarrassed for how much pride he had felt after his old man had called it that… but to him, it had been a huge compliment, even if André hadn't strictly speaking meant it that way.

Link had been even more surprised when he had poured them both a small cup of apple wine. He had, naturally, been allowed a small sip of it every now and then, but never a whole cup, no matter how small! "Leave it, if you don't want to…" his father had said, as if just now remembering that he might be a bit uneasy with that amount. In some ways the man could be as wise as the greatest philosophers… in others, he always seemed a bit lost. "I think I'll just have a few sips. Thanks." Link had answered, a bit befuddled.

They had sat down on the sofas, clicked their cups, and were silent for a while. The royal protector bravely took a small sip of wine. He found that, slowly, he developed a certain liking for the fruity tart, yet also sweet taste, when a few years before he would still screw up his face. He was beginning to see how stuff like this could lead a man to ruining his body and mind, which only let his cautious respect for the stuff grow. He had seen people who had succumbed to alcohol, had seen their emaciated, shivering bodies or their flailing, screaming rages when drunk and had long since decided that he had no interest in such a fate. His father only ever had one cup a day, if at all, so he would certainly not go above that.

André was silent, the his face under his beard was working. Link knew that beginning a conversation was not one of his strengths, so he did it for him. "How are things around the smithy?"

His father nodded, relieved. "A lot to do. Had to roll back the commissions a bit, now that you're no longer helping. But it's no problem." he grumbled, taking another sip.

"Hmm. I'm sorry, but I cannot stay…" Link began, but his father cut him off with a wave of his hand.

"I don't expect you to. I taught you so you had something to fall back to, should your first plan fail. Seems that won't be necessary." he added with a tiny grin that made Link's chest involuntarily swell with pride. "But enough. I want to hear from you." he prompted and leaned back. Link smiled. His father didn't want to be told anything specific… he simply wanted to hear what his son had to say, what he wanted to share. So he began. His impressions of Hyrule city, how the tournament had gone, how Zelda had made him a knight-aspirant, training with the blademaster… a few times he had to say "This I cannot speak of yet", but his father didn't mind. He was an excellent listener, if you knew what to look for. A briefly raised eyebrow meant more than another person's loud exclamations of wonder.

Other than the stuff he wanted to discuss with Zelda present, he left very little out. He even, very briefly, described how his relationship with the princess had come to pass, which earned him a few amused grins from his old man. It felt right to tell him… if only to share how utterly improbable the whole story was.

As he talked and André listened, he felt a sudden wistful nostalgia… back when he had still been an only child, there had been those wonderful nights when he and his father had just taken a walk. Most of the time, tiny Link had sat on his shoulders, back then the highest place imaginable. They had just wandered around Ord, or the surrounding fields for what seemed like an eternity. They would always end up lying somewhere in a field, gazing at the stars. He would talk, his father would listen. They were always topics he couldn't bring up with his mother… it was always man-talk. They were always complex questions for a child… about life, stars, justice, fear and courage… or why girls were so weird… André's answers had always been simple, understandable for his child's mind, but filled with wisdom. Link could probably still recall most of them verbatim, so much had they shaped him. Those had been the most magical nights of his life… at least until recently…

This talk they had now was very reminiscent of that. His father said little, but what he said made him feel encouraged. He took another little sip, reaching about the middle of the cup and decided to leave it at that. The taste was intriguing, but he didn't want to be even slightly tipsy, not with that difficult discussion looming so close.

They were silent for another minute, until Ria's shrill, gleeful squeal pierced the quiet. They both looked out the window and saw Zelda, trying to move with both children inseparably attached to her. It was a delight to watch them play catch, yelling and giggling without pause.

That hadn't taken long, Link thought with a smirk. The two little monsters seemed to already have taken her into their hearts. Or course, he wasn't surprised. He looked at her, elegantly weaving between the two children, her golden hair dancing with the motion, her face happy and flush with joy and life. Goddess, he could watch her for hours…

"Do you love her?" his father suddenly asked. Link's head whipped around, his expression taken aback. The man's face was kind, smiling… there was no malice, no patronising and no trifle there… just sincerity. Link, still startled, felt his heart quicken as his brain tried to come to an answer. He… didn't know… he felt so much, so, _so_ many different things! Was one of them love? True love? What separated true love from the regular kind? How does one know?

"I have my answer…" André said, his face practically beaming. Now Link was just utterly confused. He hadn't even said anything!

"You didn't have to. Your face spoke plenty." the man said, reading his mind.

"But…" Link suddenly felt distraught… shouldn't the answer have come instantly? "…I… hesitated… " he stammered, unable to even continue, so overloaded was his mind.

His father nodded. "You did. But not because you lack anything, my boy…" he calmed, reaching across the table to put his hand on his son's head. A rare touch nowadays, and therefore even more meaningful. "If you had answered right away, I would have worried that it were more of a shallow infatuation, no thought put into it. Love is not the first thing that should come to mind, but the last… it is the goal… the victory over all doubt. This does not happen over days. Or weeks. Your thinking hesitation proves, to me at least, that this is no superficial, childish fawning, but much more."

That, of course, had just given him more food for thought. He certainly hoped that he hadn't seemed too distant or distracted yesterday… but it had been worth it.

The longer he had thought about it, and especially now that he had slept over it and lay next to her, he found that his father had had a point. He looked at her again, smiling, even though he only saw the back of her head. There was so much he felt… affection was only one… elation that she was with him, amusement at all her moments of great humour, awe before her enrapturing intellect, fascination at her kindness, wonder at her perfect beauty, anticipation about the next time she would touch him, desire for her graceful body… fear that she might not feel the same, horror at the thought of losing her, anger that people wanted to do her harm… all that, reserved for just one hylian being. Too many emotions to even fathom! He did not have the answer, not yet. He didn't think he was still at the beginning of the road towards that goal, but he certainly still had a long way to go. What he did know, was that he absolutely wanted to walk this road and that he would enjoy every step.

Suddenly he felt all snuggle-y and mushy… he just wanted to take her into his arms. 'Damn it all! There you are, trying so hard to become a man amongst men, and along comes this girl and turns you into a softy!' Link thought to himself, with a chuckle full of self-irony. He should probably get up before his muscles turn to goo…

As if she had read his mind, she suddenly turned to her other side, wrapped her arm over his chest and snuggled her head on his shoulder.

Eeeeerrrmm… or, you know, I could stay? That's also fine…

Zelda gave a soft sigh. He suddenly became acutely aware of her suddenly nude knees against his and her hot breath against his chest. Oh dear… so much for not getting excited… You know? One second you're busy with deep, meaningful thoughts about love and the infinite layers of hylian emotion and suddenly, whooooop, a certain body-part can just hijack all brain-power. How is that fair? Now, all he could think of was the heat off that firm, supple body that made his senses go wild.

Alright, calm down, mister! She's sleeping, you're at home and there are kids and your parents barely 2 metres away. None of this is appropriate!

Slowly but surely, everything quieted down again, the sudden flood of excitement abated.

…was that, too, a part of all this? He had these bouts of almost incontrollable lust… for which he felt ashamed, but… judging by the near-happening by the pond, hadn't she also demonstrated something similar? So… was the purely carnal desire includable in this vague, complicated, disaster-prone construct called love? Or was that a by-product? Or a conduit? It might as well be a stress test, for all the pointless excitement his body had to endure at least… three times a day… okay, more like eleven.

Did girls have that too? Sudden flashes of arousal that needed to be quelled? Did… Zelda have those? If yes, she certainly hid them better… but he hoped that she did, because that at least meant that she might understand if she ever caught him like that… which got increasingly likely the closer they got!

Zelda stirred slightly, pulling him back from his trip into the dangerous country of philosophy. He raised his head, though from this angle he could only see the top of her head. She stirred again, the hand she had slung over his chest grabbed the fabric of his night-shirt, with a considerable bit of his flesh still in it. Link twitched, but didn't make a sound. It wasn't the most pleasant experience, but she was obviously just waking up and didn't know she had gripped a fistful of him. The hand relaxed, then searched, obviously still half asleep trying to figure out what the weird stuff was it had just held. Zelda raised her head and looked right into his smile. There was this little adorable moment when her pupils in their crystal blue sea widened in a scare, as she realized that she had just pinched him quite vigorously. But he just smiled, and the shrunk back just as quick.

"Hey." he said with a playful smirk, nodding his chin slightly towards her.

He didn't know whether it was realizing that she had snuggled so close in her sleep or something else entirely, but her cheeks and nose went deep red. She buried her face in his shoulder slightly so only the straight bridge of her nose and her striking eyes were still visible. Her long, luxurious eyelashes seemed to flutter slightly and, even without seeing her lips, he could see that she was smiling coyly. "Hey…" she whispered back, muffled, because it went straight into his clothes.

If he were to die now, looking into those two breathtaking, smiling, blue eyes, it would be a worthy death. How could they sparkle like that? It was as if you looked at the sun through a blue diamond… And he thought he felt snuggly and mushy before…

"Any particular reason you're hiding, sunshine?" he asked, grinning.

She just silently shook her head, her gaze into his eyes and her smile unbroken.

"And do you realize that you are being irresistibly cute?"

She buried her face a tiny bit deeper and, judging by her eyes, her smile became even more coquettish. Then she shook her head once more, rubbing her beautiful nose against his shoulder. Oh dear goddess, what was she doing to him?

"You are playing a dangerous game, dumpling…" he mumbled, his voice a bit raspy. "Is this some sort of revenge for the times in front of your chambers back in the castle?"

He could feel her giggling slightly. "Possibly…" she purred.

"You…" he growled amusedly and, using the hand she was partly lying on, he extended a finger to tickle her, just over the ribs.

She twitched up and gave a high squeak, then immediately slapped her hand in front of her mouth.

"Such noises! Tut tut! What should my parents think of us?" he sighed dramatically and shook his head at her. And, at the precise moment she lowered her hand to give him a retort, his finger found the same spot. To his immense delight, she squealed again, even louder this time, and once more her hand covered her mouth. Her startled eyes looked around, obviously hoping that no-one had heard.

He couldn't resist, she was just too adorable. Using both hands, he embraced and pulled her closer to him, to which she offered only minimal resistance in the form of a surprised sound. As soon as she was in range he kissed her fiercely and, only a moment later, she melted in his arms and responded in kind. With her hot form lying half on top of him, it didn't take long for his own body to react. He felt her breath quicken and her heart hammering against his chest. Her hands broke free of his embrace and snaked to the back of his neck, which she used to pull herself even closer, even firmer into their heated, fiery kiss. He grabbed her just under her armpits, not roughly, but certainly no longer tenderly either. Part of his brain told him that both his thumbs were resting against something soft and fleshy, which could only be Zelda's breasts… and they felt very, very close, as if she didn't wear a bra under the nighty. Almost involuntarily, he let his left thumb explore, just a tiny bit, wanted to feel a little bit more of that smooth, round, incredibly appealing globe. He fully expected her to jolt back and give him a scandalised look, but… she did nothing of the sort. On the contrary, her fire blazed even stronger, her nibbling and probing got even hungrier! Once again he could hear the tiny squeaks from her throat whenever she exhaled, and they drove him wild. Nayru, he had started this! And now he needed to stop it, before they both lost their senses… Hating everything, most of all himself and his blasted, pain-inducing discretion, he shifted his hands from their breathtakingly fascinating spot on her body further up, cupped her jaw and cheeks and, going against every instinct in his body, softly pushed.

She made a noise of disappointed dislike in her throat. He could feel her resistance, pulling even stronger to go against him. She didn't want to stop. Good goddess, neither did he… He would give everything to be anywhere else right now… but they weren't.

Please… please stop… or there will be no stopping me…

He pushed again, gently. Please…

Her arms relaxed and the kiss was broken. For at least 10 seconds they remained, panting heavily, their noses still touching, eyes closed.

"Do you… have any idea… what you're doing to me right now?!" she gasped, exasperation clearly in her wildly erotic voice. Hearing that tone from her, and suddenly realizing just how much she wanted him, combined with his manhood straining against the fabric of his pants nearly brought him to his climax. His breath caught in his throat for a second, before the moment passed with an intense shiver down his spine. He needed a few more before he could answer. "Believe me… I think I very much do…" he wheezed.

She gave a tiny snort, rested her forehead against his and nodded, their noses rubbing against each other. They lay there for many minutes, unmoving apart from their rapid breaths, her hands still holding his neck, his still on her face, waiting for the flames that consumed their bodies to recede.

"I am beginning to develop a hatred for cold baths…" Link muttered. Zelda laughed, still a bit breathless, and nodded again.

"Maybe we can just sit in your mother's ice-chest for a few days…" she suggested. They both giggled, which helped restore a shred of normality. Finally, after an all too short eternity, Zelda released him, planted a tentative kiss on his forehead, another on his nose and a third, tiny one on his lips before drawing away and sitting next to him.

Link's first instinct was to sit up too, or she would immediately see his manhood bulging his pants. Quickly he did the manoeuvre known to probably all men where he fixed it in the waistband so it wouldn't show. He looked over his shoulder, knowing that that couldn't have been subtle at all. Zelda, bless her, looked away though, either coincidentally or deliberately, he couldn't say. So, in an attempt to be equally noble, he averted his gaze too and _didn't_ notice that her nighty had slipped _way_ past her knees.

* * *

He didn't think he had ever seen such a full breakfast table. Normally they had meat only once, maybe twice a week, but his mother had served a few slices of blood sausage, a sizeable chunk of corned beef and had even fried a little bacon. Not to mention butter, salt, an aromatic hard cheese and six boiled eggs! And, of course, her incomparable bread… Link felt almost bad, knowing how early she must have risen to conjure all this on the table… his stomach, though, had no such qualms and grumbled in full approval.

"I hear you are in accord?" his mother called from the kitchen.

"Do you think it'll be enough?" he asked with laughing sarcasm as he rounded the corner to greet her in person.

"Well, I… since I don't know when you'll return, I thought…" she trailed off and looked at him with a heart-wrenchingly wistful smile. Never… not once had he seen his mother afraid. Now that he looked at her, he could see the dark rings under her eyes, showing that she probably hadn't slept a second. Even her hands were shaking ever so slightly… His insides twisted painfully, seeing her like that, understanding how much fear she must feel because of him. Guilt, that ever unwelcome and often misplaced sensation, welled up nastily as he looked upon her sad eyes. He knew it was stupid, unwarranted… and he knew she was the last person to try to make him feel that way… but still, that unpleasant, but persistent pin-prick of guilt pierced his thoughts.

On an instinct, he walked over and, feeling a bit awkward, locked her in his arms. She instantly clasped him in a crushing embrace, showing him that this, at least, had been the right thing to do. "My big little boy…" she whispered as she gently stroked his back. "I wanted you to go out, see the city, be successful as I knew you would be, have fun, enjoy life away from boring old Ord… And now you have to save the world… huh! What has the world ever done to deserve that?"

Link hugged her tighter. "I will return, mom…" It has been a while since he had called her that… he had just grown out of that at some point, but… it seemed appropriate now. "I'll return, so don't throw your parties yet…"

"Oh, you dumb, daft donkey! Don't make jokes like that!" she scolded. "Goddess, just look at me… having to be consoled by my son, who has all this on his shoulders! Disgraceful, isn't it?" He remembered yesterday, when Zelda and he had explained everything to the best of their abilities… and his parent's had understood to the best of theirs. It had not been an easy discussion… absurdity and the fear of not being believed aside, how do you tell your mother and father that you have to go into unknown territory, brave unknown dangers and defeat unknown evil? The easy answer was: you don't. But that wasn't the _right_ answer. They had amazed him by, more or less, believing him instantly. Having princess Zelda among his luggage, together with the king's document allowing him a lot of requisition-power, had certainly helped, but… it was still remarkable.

The really painful thing had been explaining that, regrettably, they couldn't help. Apart from a bed for the night and a few trinkets, they were powerless. That look in his father's eyes, that desperate impotence, even with all his strength… Link knew that would haunt him for a while… He knew they both would probably have dropped everything to make sure he was safe, but, of course, they had to stay for the children. …he had to imagine his mother, armed to the teeth, striking fear into the hearts of evil as one furious little ball of spikes… he chuckled.

"What's funny?" she asked, her slight motherly threat back in her voice already.

"The sheer absurdity of all this…" he answered, half truthfully. "Don't worry. We'll take good care of each other."

"You better!" she snarled, drew a little back to smile warmly at him. "I believe you have found a truly wonderful girl, my love. And if that is the only good thing to come from this ghastliness, it is a great, marvellous thing indeed. With all my heart, I wish you two as many joyful hours on your journey as a hylian can stomach." she said, her voice heavy with emotion. He just stood there, not knowing what to say to such a profoundly cordial blessing.

"Now, go, before this useless old baggage gets all teary-eyed and embarrasses her poor son even more. Go get your father and the kids and your darling and tell them to come have breakfast!" And with that she gently pushed him out the kitchen with a last, loving smile.

The kids were still half asleep, but, in accordance with Andrésson tradition, the prospect of food woke them up instantly. His father was probably out getting milk, but would return within minutes. Zelda, his 'darling', was most likely still busy washing… or cooling off. Link had drawn her a bath, which, in non-royal language, meant he had poured a number of buckets of well water into a wooden tub. He himself had just dumped one over his head, washed, then rinsed the soap off, once she had been out of eyesight. Still, knowing her, she was probably hungry too, so he needn't bother getting her.

About 5 minutes later, prophet Link's predictions had all come true. The entire family was enjoying the rich meal. He always had to chuckle at seeing his little brother devour seemingly more than his own volume and his sister, usually miming the fine lady, throwing all pretence over board and wolfing with the best of them. And, still, he loved Zelda's appetite. He didn't know what he would do with one of those girls who were stiltedly 'happy' with just a few bites, then got grumpy when others around them didn't act out a great famine.

Once all the delicacies had found a new home in their stomachs, the children already wanted to be off to play, tugging at Zelda's clothes, prompting her to follow. Obviously powerless before their puppy-stares, she allowed herself to be pulled away, to a fate, maybe not worse, but certainly more strenuous than death.

Mother giggled softly. "You two better return quickly, because you know these two will ask me about when she'll be back every. Single. Day." she said.

"What are your plans?" his father asked calmly.

"I mean to leave before noon. Since we have no inkling about how great our haste should be, we can't stay longer… no matter how much we want to." he began, the regret in his own voice worrying him slightly. "I absolutely must speak to Mart before I leave. Not only do I have to borrow arrows from him, which will delight him as always, no doubt, but I also just need to… tell him. Zelda will have to write a letter, which we must ask you to post to Runga Strongback, a Goron in Hyrule city. I want you to remember that name. If, goddess forbid, the situation here should become too threatening, or you are worried about safety for any reason whatsoever, find Runga, tell him who you are and ask for the blademaster's protection. That should sort everything out decently enough. But… what I just told you is very delicate information that you should not share. I'd probably already get deeply into trouble for revealing this contact to you, but I don't care. You can trust the blademaster and I know he will help."

"You don't have to look out for us too, dear…" his mother said, meaning it kindly.

"Yes I do!" he retorted, a little harsher than he had meant. "Who, if not me?"

"And we thank you for it." André spoke calmly. "It was not a rejection of your words. What your mother meant is, you should not worry overly about us four during your travels, where other thoughts need take priority. Rest assured that we will be safe. More so now that we have a contact in the city."

Link thought about it for a few seconds and nodded. His father was right, he could not constantly dwell on hopes and doubts concerning their safety. It would interfere with his concentration sooner or later, and he couldn't allow that. Not on a mission this critical… "I understand." he said finally. "Sorry for snapping at you."

"Oh, come now! I'm not that delicate. I can hardly imagine the pressure on you right now, love. If barking at me relieves some of it, go ahead!" she chuckled and raised her chin in a challenging way. Link had to laugh a bit, but didn't fall for the obvious death trap of motherly support.

"Do what you want to do, and don't feel rushed. We'll be here all day…" his father said. '… ready for goodbyes' Link finished his sentence in his mind, and felt a sharp sting of sorrow.

"And if you change your mind and want to stay another night… huhhh, _maybe_ we can make an exception…" Meera sighed dramatically, smiling warmly.

"Thank you… both of you." Link mumbled, feeling dangerously close to tears all of a sudden. Mother reached over with a compassionate face and caressed his head consolingly, which, of course, made it all worse. Link's face contorted in a hopeless attempt to stop the tears, while the first, soft sobs wracked travelled through his body. _Damn it_! He had sworn himself that he would be strong, that he wouldn't give them additional food for worry… that he wouldn't fall into despair. And now this…

"Sshhhh… it's alright, Link…" his mother whispered while moving closer, wrapping his arm around him and continuing her caresses.

What is alright?! I'm no hero! I don't want to be a hero! I'm fucking fifteen! A couple of months ago my biggest concern was waking up in time to train! I never fucking asked for this! Everyone's at risk because I'm no fucking protector! I'm a child! Look at me, crying like a babe!

The sobs raked through him and he was powerless to stop them. He felt so ashamed, bawling in front of his parents like this, in front of his father especially. So much for having a man-talk… what must he be thinking of him now? Did he believe him a wimp? A craven? "I'm sorry…" he silently wept. "I'm sorry…"

"You have nothing to be sorry about, dear." His mother cooed.

Link felt a large, heavy hand gently touch his back. "Listen, my son. I know what you are thinking right now, because every man thinks it at some point… and most, if not all, for lesser reasons. You are not a failure. You are not weak. When all mindless bravado is spent, every man wants to cry. I was at the border, 25 years ago, drafted as a blacksmith's apprentice with 16. My situation was nowhere near as dangerous, yet for the first two weeks I bawled like an infant for mommy, for my friends, even for my comfortable bed at home, when no-one could see. You have every right to feel the way you do. You are forced to a path not of your choosing. A path of danger and uncertainty. Only an idiot incapable of thought would not feel despair at some point. The question anyone has to ask himself is: what will I do with my despair? Give in to it and run? Or see it as just another hurdle to overcome so I can emerge stronger?"

Link had listened very carefully, even though the sobs would still not relent. He didn't think he had ever heard his father talk so much… from any other person these words might have had only mediocre effect, but from him… from this man who seemed so unshakable, they meant something.

"Just let it all out, my love." his mother reassured. "No-one could contain this forever. All this had to break out of you at some point. It's good that it came now, when we can help you. Let it out… I promise it'll feel better afterwards."

He had to laugh softly, interrupted by silent crying.

"Do not be ashamed, my son." André rumbled softly, patting his back a bit awkwardly. "You will do very well. I have no doubt about that. You have won the tournament, you have protected the princess twice when no-one else could and you have a very personal interest in her well-being. To use your words: Who, if not you?"

Link thought about it for a second, then nodded. True enough… who, if not me? Slowly, the bawling ebbed and the sobs became less fierce. A few minutes passed before he could wipe away the tears from his cheeks and be certain that no more were coming. His mother, as usual, had been right. He did feel a lot better. Lighter, more at ease… The weight that had unconsciously built on his heart over the last week had fallen off. He felt like he could breathe more freely…

"All better?" she asked cautiously.

He smiled at her lopsidedly and nodded.

"My baby…" she whispered and wrapped him in another crushing embrace, holding his head toward her chest. "Don't be afraid to ask for help if you are feeling hopeless. Being grown up does not mean that you have to deal with everything all alone. It means knowing when to overcome useless pride and ask for assistance." she explained, and it made sense to him. Why else would grown ups choose to live in groups? In villages? In partnerships?

"Your duty, among other things, will be to make your charge feel safe. That is your profession as a knight and as a man. But, whenever you feel like the ground has fallen out from underneath you, it will be her obligation to comfort you, to build you back up. Giving and taking, the eternal flow of a working relationship." she shared her wisdom.

"The goddesses know, your mother had to do it often enough with me…" his father chuckled. Link laughed. That was so unimaginable, this stoic mountain in need of comfort, but he was sure that his father wouldn't swindle, just to make him feel better.

"Thanks… I do feel better." he muttered, almost feeling abuzz from relief.

"Then go! Do what you have to. I know that's like telling a river to stop flowing, but don't think about it any more. Go! And, I think, you might want to save Zelda from the two monsters."

* * *

After a little bit of dawdling, making sure that his eyes were dry again, Link walked outside. He felt SO much better… he also still felt like buffoon and a bit of a crybaby, but now at least he could laugh about himself. He was amazed at how much pressure could build up inside a person, without that person even really noticing… until something, even an innocent little word, suddenly cracked everything open and a flood of emotion pours forth. It must have been like that when Zelda had erupted at him without warning, about her father's oppression back in Hyrule…

Speaking of whom… it seemed he came just in time to save the princess once again, and from the fiercest enemy yet! Two tiny little Bokoblins had latched onto her, one on her back, the other around her thighs, both squealing in malicious glee. Link nonchalantly sauntered closer, especially once Zelda had seen him.

"Could it be that you require assistance?" he asked her innocently while she looked like she might fall any second.

"Noooo, none whatsoeeeeeever _help me_!" she hissed, as if trying to hide her plea from the kids, who naturally loved that they had so 'defeated' their enemy.

"Well, if you're sure…" he answered, pretending not to have heard the 'hidden message'. "I will walk over to Marten, my other best friend. I'll have to pretend to want a talk while I steal arrows from him."

"Sounds like something you would do to your friends…" she grumbled while Ria tried to climb even further up to sit on her head.

"Would you like to come with me?" he asked, for no particular reason, other than that it was the polite thing to do. She thought about it for a second while attempting, and failing, to dislodge the boy from her back. "Hmmm… no. I'd just get in the way. Besides, I need to write that thrice damned letter." she said while shaking her head, much to Ria's delight. Link was just relieved that she remembered… he didn't want to be the one who reminded her of that unpleasant topic, even though he would have. "Right. I won't be long. Mart, blessedly, doesn't talk much, as opposed to Ricco, who never shuts up ever." he scoffed.

Zelda giggled. "Huh! A date between Sally and him is probably just them both speed-talking at each other. At the same time…"

"Sounds quite plausible. Will you be alright with the letter? Do you need moral support?" he asked, not quite sure whether that was a stupid thing to ask, or just the right thing. Or both.

She smiled, slightly pained by the ever fidgeting additional weight on her back. "No, I'll be fine. I already know what I'll write. Brainless pleasantries with complete lack of information, so he'll feel right at home! It might even be cathartic!" she chuckled. Link was happy to see her like that while discussing this delicate topic. Apparently the few days away from the castle had contributed to healing this particular wound. "But thanks for asking." she added and stretched her head upwards as much as she could. He still got the invitation and gave her a short, but still passionate kiss on the lips.

"Eeeeeeeeww!" Ria squealed, clearly enraptured and acting disgusted.

Link scowled at her, then making a nauseated face himself. "Eeeeeeeew, a girl!" he squeaked right back, mimicking her voice quite well. Then he looked back at Zelda, made a shocked expression and jumped back. "Eeeeew!" he yelled and histrionically wiped his lips and tongue. "That's so naaaasty!" he squeaked, still with a high voice, while both children giggled so hard they nearly fell off. Zelda, too, laughed, thank the goddess. "You better run, or I'll give you another! Mmmmm" she threatened, then puckered her lips.

Link was torn between keeping up the act and, well, doing the only thing reasonable. He wasn't torn for long. "I think I can take a little nasty in my life!" he said and gave her another one. Both of them had to giggle. They separated after a few seconds, but just by a few centimetres. "Ew." Both said in unison and laughed.

* * *

The way to Marten's home wasn't long, especially if you just walked across the fields. Link could already hear the rhythmic sound of filing wood. Mart worked hard; he would be an excellent bowyer one day. His father, a good but strict and nearly humourless man, already let him craft entire bows all by himself and they usually turned out well. Luckily, when Link approached, his friend was just stepping out of the workshop. "Brother!" Link emulated Ricco's deeper, more rumbly voice. Mart whipped around and was confused for a second when no-one of Goron proportions was visible. Then he smiled. "Did they throw you out of the city it up already? Are you a fugitive now?" was his greeting.

Link laughed, mostly because of how close to the truth that actually was. "Absolutely! And by talking to you, you are officially my accomplice and will face similar punishment." he replied.

"Hah! Isn't excitement, even devious, preferable over crushing boredom?" he asked, apparently having taken up philosophy now that Ricco isn't there to do it.

Link remembered that sort of thinking… a few weeks ago the 'soul-crushing boredom' had been his biggest problem and he had itched for action… Now, life had definitely brought that into perspective…

"So, why's Ric not with you? Is he in the castle dungeon already for public annoyance?" Mart asked as they grabbed each other's forearm in greeting.

"I didn't travel with Ric on the way back. He should arrive today though…" Link said, and was met with a confused expression. "Do you have a little time? It's a complicated story."

"Errrm…" he erm-ed, looking back to the workshop, thinking. "Sure. Father's off buying wood anyway. I have an hour…"

And Link explained away, as best as he could. Since he had to tell the entire story yesterday already, he could more or less present it in one coherent stream of words. Mart listened, his brow furrowed. As fast and twitchy as he was, he was not quick to trust, much less than big, boisterous Ricco. When all had been told, he was silent for a minute, no doubt attempting to establish order in his thoughts. "So you are telling me that you travelled here, on horseback, with the princess of this country?" he slowly asked, obviously torn between believing his friend and his natural suspicion. Link had to chuckle. Of all the things he had spoken of, the enigmatic Threat, assassins, dragons… _that_ was the part Mart couldn't fathom? "Well, I could always introduce you… watching you fall into a hapless stammer in front of her might be fun!"

"The strange thing is, I… believe you?" he said, looking as if that realization actually pained him. "I mean, you're crazy, but what else is new? Still… I remember the princess' face pretty well and this whole story is SO out there… I want confirmation!" he demanded dramatically.

Link made a confirmatory shrug. "Fair enough! But! For that grave insult of not instantly taking my words for truth, by his majesty the king's will, I demand arrows!" he pronounced grandly. Mart looked at him with a rather tired expression and slowly shook his head. "Now why did I expect that?"

* * *

She could be seen from afar, eye-catching as she was. She was sitting on the exact same spot as they had yesterday, and was clearly busy writing. Amazingly she had managed to shake the two little monsters off, at least for now.

"Oh man…" Mart breathed as he walked beside him. Link couldn't begrudge him that reaction… he felt it too, every time he saw her.

"Okay, I'll introduce you, but don't call her 'princess' or 'your majesty'." he warned.

"Why? Because you're incognito?" Mart asked.

"That, but mostly because she doesn't… want to be…" Link explained softly.

"Hm. Does she have a choice? In the long run, I mean?" his friend asked, sensibly.

"No, not really… but she has now and she's taking it."

Marten grunted in understanding.

Zelda looked up, either because she had heard them, or because she really could feel his presence, he still wasn't sure. She smiled expectantly at the two of them.

"Oh man…"

Link had to giggle. "Are you getting along all right, Zelda?" he asked her, glancing at the mostly empty piece of paper in her hand.

"At a crawl… as usual, being vindictive is harder in practice than in thought." she sighed, placed the paper under the inkwell and stood up.

"Zelda, may I introduce Marten, the third and final part of Ord's little army of chaos. Mart, this is the dumpling." he said cheekily, earning himself a little cute glower from her.

Marten, already getting a bit pink in the face, took a flourishing bow. "I am delighted to make your acquaintance… and my sincerest condolences for having to travel with our trio's greatest clod!" he oozed obviously exaggerated charm.

"Indeed, it is a great test to my patience, Sir Marten. If only you had trained him with greater diligence, I might not be in this debacle." she shot back without skipping a beat. Poor Mart was clearly nonplussed by her quick wit, as his reply took a while to be formulated. "Err… it is not due to a lack of training, I assure you. Rather a lack of learning, I fear."

"Oh well. I shall continue the instruction where you left off. He seems to be learning rather quick with me as master, is that not so?" she asked sweetly and looked at Link, who had his finger demonstratively up his nose. "Whaaa?" he groaned dully.

Zelda took his hand and pulled. "Oh, fie!" she yelled while giggling with a disgusted expression. "Thank you for that elucidation, brave knight. You truly are a valiant addition to the force."

They all had a laugh at Link's expense, but he didn't mind. Weird as it was, he just felt fiercely proud that he could introduce this miraculous girl to his friends and family. Mart, as expected, was quite the gentleman. While not as exuberant as Ric, he at least was less in risk of profoundly embarrassing everyone around him. Sadly, Mart was a conscientious guy, so he kept his timeframe of one hour very accurately. But, at the very least, Zelda enchanted him so much that he completely forgot to have a whinge about the 20 arrows he left in Link's dubious care.

* * *

They remained outside to finish Zelda's bothersome letter. Progress was slow. On one hand due to joking about semi-hidden nastiness and allusions they could include, on the other because neither of them knew what to actually write. She clearly didn't want to be petty, even though she had many delightfully evil ideas. In the end, the resulting writ was about as dry and devoid of emotion as a tax declaration, which, Link found, was a pretty good message in itself.

They sat on their little wall and treated themselves to a pause after that demanding endeavour. The day was nice. The insufferable heat had been washed away by yesterday's showers, there was a cool breeze caressing their skin, the sky was blue with the occasional fluffy looking cloud drifting lazily by. There was peace in the air… apart from a sudden shrill cry from the other side of the house: "MOOOM! ANDRÉ THREW A SPIDER AT ME!"

Both flinched, then Link looked at Zelda and vice versa before they had to giggle at the incredibly sinister accusation. She sighed, looked down and, lost in thought, pulled out a blade of grass and played with it between her elegant fingers. He could clearly see that something bothered her, but he wanted to give her time to voice it when she was ready. It didn't take long before she sighed again. "I don't want to leave…" she mumbled, her tone desolate.

Now it was Link's turn to sigh. Neither did he… but what was there to do? He raised a tentative hand and stroked her back where her golden hair cascaded downwards. She kept looking at the blade of grass in her hands, and showed a sad smile. "It's funny… I don't feel like nearly enough time has passed to say that justifiably, but… even after just one day, I feel so… at home here." she spoke softly, thoughtfully. He continued his caresses, hoping they were of any help, and let her continue. "Everything here… the house, the apple trees, especially your family, who are all so wonderful… For this one day, I felt… normal. And welcome. It's so dreadful that I have to say that, but… I've truly never felt that before. Not this strongly, in any case…" She gave a tiny laugh and shook her head. Then she looked at him, her sorrowful smile made his heart go out to her. "And now I don't want to leave." she finished, the way she said it making it clear that she knew she had to, despite that.

"What can I do to help?" he asked, feeling powerless. Zelda's smile widened a little bit and became just a tad less sad. She cupped his cheek and pulled him towards her so she could give him a little peck on the cheek. "Thank you, you're sweet. But I'll get over it. It simply just now occurred to me how much I feel at home… and how comforting that is…"

Link gave a sympathetic grunt, embraced her shoulders and gently pulled her towards him. She rested her head on his shoulder and hummed.

Damn, what could he do? They both knew they had to leave, and soon. But he could understand her so much! Most of her life she was raised by governesses, teachers, maids… all people to whom she was 'the princess'… always with a safe distance. The only closeness had been Saria, but… never a mother's hug, never a father's proud pat on the back, only ever dozens of expectations and distance. To him, who had grown up surrounded by a close-knit family, this was a dreadful thought! And now she had gotten a taste of how other people lived. Simply, but closely, both in body and spirit. To her, this must be like an oasis of unconditional affection, when all she had known was a seemingly endless desert of impersonal, reserved coolness. No wonder she wanted to stay… What could he do?

…should he maybe…? Well, why not? He had been carrying around for far too long already…

"Maybe, err… there is something I can do to, well, at least ease parting a little bit…" he said and started fumbling around in his pocket. Goddess, he had been carrying it all this time, every moment, and had waited for the opportune moment. He felt a bit stupid.

He also felt a lot nervous! It was such a small, relatively cheap thing… Giving a girl like her a jewel would be like decorating the most beautiful rose with glitter… pointless and almost tasteless. But… _if_ she liked it, about which he wasn't sure, it would help soothe her soul a bit.

Zelda had lifted her head and was watching curiously. He produced the tiny casket and, foolishly, half hid it in his hands. "I err… I bought this back in Hyrule. I thought I'd wait for the 'perfect moment', but now I think that that doesn't exist… I don't know if you'll like it… If you don't, that's fine, it was just a thought…" he babbled and tentatively opened it, feeling his face grow very hot. Good goddess, his hands were shaking as he held it so she could see, he was so nervous! His instincts told him that, like her choice of dresses, simple little jewels would suit her best, but… in these things, he had absolutely no confidence in himself.

'Oh dear Farore's mercy, please like it!' he thought and almost didn't dare to look at her face. Surprise, as she saw the tiny bauble, as she looked into his pleading eyes, then back to the proffered treasure. A tiny breath of a laugh, then a smile as her eyes started to shine. She took the earring in the shape of a flower, little larger than a thumb's nail and examined it while her grin ever grew. "It's beautiful!" she breathed and Link dared to again. "It's just one, unfortunately… the vendor only had this one…" he jabbered, his relief barely containable. She looked back at him, her face radiant and incredibly gorgeous. She almost jumped him, so suddenly was he in her embrace, her lips on his. Link was so flabbergasted for a second that he almost didn't hug her back. It was a simple kiss, but long and wonderfully sweet. She broke it after a blissful eternity and eyes it once again, turning it this way and that in the sunlight. "It's perfect! I love it!" she exulted and nimbly stuck it through her left earlobe. She brushed her hair to the other side and looked at him expectantly. "How do I look?" she asked, giggling in delight.

Link had no words… it did fit perfectly. The aquamarine fit the colour of her eyes perfectly and silver looked excellently on her in general. He could just stare, shaking his head gently in disbelief at how utterly marvellous she looked. The longer he ogled, the pinker her cheeks became, which only made her cuter. "So beautiful…" he whispered, unable to find anything that even came close to an accurate description. Zelda giggled, a bit abashed, and brushed her hair behind her ear again. "It's the same flower the lady gave me back in the city, right?" she asked, her cheeks and nose now thoroughly red. Link just nodded, unable to look away or think straight, smiling like an idiot.

"I looked it up… it's called a Silent Princess…" she mumbled, melting under his loving gaze. He nodded and gave a slightly amused grunt.

"You're staring…" she whispered sheepishly, her grin both irresistibly shy and tantalizingly impish.

"I can't help it…" he breathed. They looked at each other for another moment, both enraptured in the other's eyes. Then they moved together as one, sharing another long, world-changing kiss. This time, though, it threatened to become much more passionate quickly. Zelda, pushing hungrily against him, placed her hand on his thigh, very close to… the centre, which made Link twitch involuntarily. Was that an accident? No… he doubted it. Din's fire, just a simple touch of her hand, on his thigh, through trousers, sent fire through his nerves. But…

Zelda broke their kiss once again and gave a little snort. "We are still technically on your parent's ground, correct?" she whispered.

He immediately understood what she meant and it sent sparks from his brain all the way down to his nether regions. "I'm afraid we are…" he answered, unable to fill his voice with as much regret as he felt.

"That is a damn shame…" she giggled and slowly, agonizingly, moved back. Completely flushed now, she looked even more… appetizing. In an attempt to distract herself, she removed the earring again to look upon it once more. Her smile widened again.

"I am so glad you like it… I was so nervous just now…" Link admitted, chuckling breathlessly.

"Aw…" she cooed, leaned over and put another little peck on his cheek. "There was no need. If it's from you… I would have liked it anyway." she promised, blushing a bit more. "But this jewel… Link, you really picked perfectly! Now I don't ever want to wear anything else!" she giggled and put it back in her ear.

"Thank you… truly… for everything!" she said and embraced him tightly.

"You're welcome… always." he mumbled into her ear and hugged her back. She squeezed him tightly… Both knew that their last words had not been about the gift, not really. To him, Zelda would eternally be welcome to anything he could give… his village, his house, his room… his life.

* * *

The time for goodbyes had come. Link's family stood assembled in front of the house, all showing sad, but hopeful smiles.

"Why'd you have to go already?" André Jr. asked Link, pouting.

"Because both Zelda and I have something very important to do and we can't wait…" he said earnestly, ruffling his little brother's hair. He pouted even more, clearly not satisfied with the answer. "But you'll be back, right?" he asked, looking at both him and her. Zelda bent down and embraced him tightly. "We will." she assured. "I promise!" Link added. Ria already had tears in her eyes, which didn't make it easier. He lifted her up and hugged her to him. Zelda wrapped her hands around them both.

"How long will you be away?" the girl asked, sniffling. "A few weeks…" he answered, hoping he was saying the truth. "Okay…" she mumbled, giving him a tiny peck on the cheek, a very rare sign of affection from his sister.

"Link." André Sr.'s deep voice asked. "Here." He proffered an about 25cm long knife in its leather sheath. Link let Ria down and took it from his hand, surprised. "It's been mine for many years… got it in the military. I want you to have it, now that you're going out into the world." his father rumbled. Link drew it carefully. A combat knife, double edged, simple but sharp enough to shave. An excellent thing to have as an emergency weapon, or just as tool. He had to laugh as he remembered Sir Alistair's often repeated words. "Can't have too many knives!" he voiced it, looking gratefully at his father. "Thank you."

The big man nodded, stoic as ever, but not even he could hide his sorrow before his son.

Meera, all the while was busy with Zelda. It seemed she had used most of the night to tailor on of her old outfits to fit the younger lady, who was very grateful. Link was very happy that his mother had locked her so quickly in her heart… and vice-versa, it seemed.

"You are always welcome here, dear. Please do make sure that you get my ungrateful son to visit on your way back!" she asked, chuckling.

"I will. Thank you so much for your wonderful hospitality. I would be delighted, if I could stay again!" Zelda answered, obviously glad that she could say these words genuinely, and not just as pleasantries.

"And longer, my dear! Maybe time will allow you two to stay a bit longer in the future." his mother offered, to which Zelda nodded smilingly.

Then Meera looked a bit unsure and seemed to um and err a lot. "Can I… well, I'm still not quite sure whether you want that or…" she muttered, but didn't get any further. Zelda, apparently understanding the idea behind the hesitation stepped forward and hugged the older woman, who laughed in relief and wrapped her in one of her crushing embraces. "Oh, my dear… you really are special…" she chuckled.

"And normal…" Link added with a wink towards his girlfriend.

"That is what makes her special…"

Once his mother was finally done with her, she looked at her son. "Now, you too, young man!" she commanded with a grin. She didn't have to wait for long… Link gladly accepted his mother's caress. Sometimes, feeling like a little boy just felt good.

"My dearest… take good care of both of you, hm? Whatever happens, your father and I are so proud of you, you can't even fathom…" she whispered, her voice cracking. He said nothing, just hummed in vague affirmation. She released him after a few seconds, looking like it had cost her all her strength to let him go. Link smiled at all of them, then turned around and, with Zelda's hand in his, went towards the already saddled horses. He glanced at her face and was glad that he wasn't the only one who had to fight back his tears.

They mounted, waved their goodbyes and gently kicked their horses into motion. Link looked at the position of the sun; just past noon.

"Promise me too that we'll return…" Zelda spoke to his right. He looked at her sad and slightly fearful face. He didn't feel much better, if he was honest. But nevertheless, he smiled at her warmly. Once again he noticed his earring adorning her left ear and felt an indescribable warmth at the sight. "I promise. We will return." he stated simply, surprised at how sure he felt. A small smile graced her lips again and she nodded. She absentmindedly fingered the bauble in her ear and her grin grew just a tad wider.

Link chuckled to himself. It seemed he had set himself quite a high standard concerning gifts for her… How would he ever be able to top that?


	37. Chapter 36

**Hey! Couldn't finish it before I left and I have very little time right now, but... here it is! Prepare yourselves! ;)  
Also: Yes, a DIRECT continuation of the last scene will follow in the next chapter. Don't worry, I won't leave that out.  
The first scene is, of course, about the lovely lady we met at the beginning of "32: Chapter 31", whose name we don't know yet. It's been a while, so I thought I'd just make that clear.  
2nd Also: Thank you as always for reviews and criticism. Because it has been mentioned: yes, I do plan on doing side-chapters for other characters, as long as I don't feel that they drag out the main plot too much. These will most likely be shorter... we'll see!  
**

 **Have fun!**

Chapter 36

Boredom was her greatest enemy… it had made her complacent and had allowed the fat, sweaty merchant to break her spell for just a moment. Naturally, she couldn't allow that, so his huge, bloated corpse now lay in a ditch where it belonged. She giggled to herself, as she remembered his panicked, pig-like squeaking, so appropriate to his shape, as her knives had pierced his skin again and again… and again… she had taken her time with him for attempting to break free from her control. An almost unspeakable sin! Sadly though, his coach-driver had heard, so he had to die too. Which left her with an empty carriage, and she certainly wouldn't stoop so low to drive herself! That was no proper conduct for a lady such as herself. Mmmh, once her master was free… how many servants would she have? Thousands? Millions? All there to read her every wish from her eyes, existing only because she allowed it. She licked over her lips and her breath became ragged. What fun she would have… their agonized screams as she wantonly punished, their near mindless terror for knowing there was no reason, no predictability to when her blades would strike. She bit her lip and sighed…

With masterful self-control, she calmed her arousal before it got out of hand. She could still smell the blood on her hands from the fat merchant… she always got a tiny bit excited so close after a kill. And she had been frustrated… days on the road with only that pig and his stench for company… and now she needed to find a new one…

Her way led south, where Ghorin had brought the old woman so she could… interrogate her. By God, how she looked forward to that meeting! She absentmindedly fingered her knife in her sleeve, letting it pierce the skin on her middle finger to the precise depth where it hurt, but didn't bleed. Mmmmh, what a talk that would be…

Right now she was standing on the side of the road, hiding in plain sight, which was just one of her countless abilities. Someone of her status didn't need to creep and crawl… people would just look through her, as long as she wished it.

And so she waited. There was no real hurry. The two children had to navigate the wild country… no matter where they currently were, her spies would notify her when they got close to one of the resting places, if not sooner… and she would be there.

Not for the first time, she wondered whether she should actually kill them… to her own annoyance she felt just a tiny bit uneasy… Her master, her God, communicated with her, yes, but… the power that bound Him was still strong. She caught glimpses, hazy images of His will… The sorcerer said he saw them clearly, strongly, unmistakably… She doubted him… she doubted that her master would commune better with someone other than her, His most faithful servant. But they had been in accord, the sorcerer and she. Involuntarily, she imagined God's wrath if they had misunderstood, and therefore endangered His plans and shivered. No matter how much pain she could inflict on others, her powers paled, were insignificant, next to His. She could not allow failure…

She closed her eyes, tried to feel Him, sense his hot glow invade her mind. There was always pain, but she delighted in it! She was His tool, at least until she had proven worthy… then, surely, she would be more. Her mind stretched, hoping to catch a brush of His ever strengthening consciousness, trying to feel His searing caress that always seemed to fulfil her so…

…nothing. Either his attention was on some other machination of his, or he was silently watching her… yes, that must be it!

A rattle startled her out of her trance. A cheap, horse drawn cart clattered by, far closer already than she was comfortable. Thank Him that her abilities were so perfected that she could remain hidden even when thinking along higher paths. She looked at the thing creating the insufferable racket that had pulled her out of her reverie. A two wheeled cart, drawn by one old horse, driven by an elderly, but strong looking man, a knight. On the back sat a big youth, a veritable mountain of muscle, looking a bit glum. The old man nattered something about youngsters while the lad, who couldn't be more than fifteen, judging by his smooth face, just stared at infinity. He roused her appetite, and her appetite was always the same. Come here, big boy… whatever you're sad about, let me take it all away on a long journey of pain and the far away goal of death's sweet release. All your problems will seem so very far away…

She licked her lips and her muscles tensed. For a few seconds she was ready to pounce, but, in the end, she decided against it. Causing too much bloodshed on one spot was unwise… no matter how delectable the prey looked. She couldn't even use them… they were going the wrong way and the cart looked most uncomfortable. She watched through eyes narrowed to slits as they slowly drove past, feeling regret that her plaything had gone…

Oh well… once she reached Ghorin's outrider camp and encountered that meddlesome old woman, she would have all the fun she could ever hope for.

* * *

Link

He woke up early today, since the day before had not been all that strenuous. The sun was only just high enough that its morning rays could pierce the canopy above. He felt her back touching his, just the merest hint of contact, but still so oddly comforting. The afternoon after their departure had been a quiet one, full of subdued contemplation. They had talked little, both dealing with the fresh ache of parting in their own way. In the night, they had sought each other's company, but only for solace, not more. The mood had not been right for much of anything else…

Today, he was sure he would be able to distract them both from the blue spirit… Something he had known he had to do, but hadn't been sure how Zelda would react. But, the closer they got to their target and the farther they moved from civilisation, the more urgent it became.

Today, he and she would duel! If it came down to fighting in earnest, he absolutely had to know what she could do. The difference between her being able to hold her own for five seconds or ten was potentially the difference between life or death. Secondly, he meant to start instructing her. The better she got, the higher their chances were, should they be pulled into a battle. The less he had to worry about her, the faster he could end the fight. He just hoped that, well, she would accept him as teacher… and that he would not fail as one.

So, without further ado, he rose, not bothering to be particularly silent. He stretched his limbs, grunting in relief, before sidling over to their bags and taking both their swords. He then looked around the little copse they were in, searching for two sticks of appropriate length. Even though he consciously produced noise, Zelda wasn't impressed… she slept like a rock. He looked down upon her, smirking. He decided not to do something evil, but sat down by her head, making sure not to accidentally sit on any of her hair. Gently, he stroked over her head, feeling her stunning, golden strands between his fingers. He wasn't quite sure whether he was overstepping some sort of invisible boundary, touching her while she was asleep… He could see how she might not be entirely comfortable with that… But he couldn't think of a more tender way to wake her.

She stirred ever so slightly as he caressed her scalp and mumbled something unintelligible. Goddess, he wanted to kiss her so badly… but that, he felt, really was a step too far… at least for now.

"Zeeeeelda…" he cooed softly, tickling her cheek with one finger. Her brow furrowed and her mouth twitched, which made him stop. "Whaa…" she grumbled, clearly nowhere near wakefulness yet.

"You're late for sword training, Zelda…" he purred into her ear, resuming his stroking of her hair.

It took a few seconds for her drowsy brain to react. Then she frowned, as something didn't quite make sense… "Huh?" she asked, her eyes still closed.

"Sword training, dumpling… your teacher is already getting terribly impatient…" he giggled.

Her eyes opened and looked around. Then her head turned towards him and she smiled briefly before closing them again. "Good morning, dumpling!" he said, grinning. She just hummed her answer.

"Did you have a good dream?"

"Mmmmh… weird…" she mumbled.

"About some idiot who told you about practice, or some nonsense like that?" he asked innocently.

"Mhm." she confirmed, still smiling, still too sleepy to draw the connection.

"That _is_ a weird dream…" he agreed. He bent down and gave her a tentative little kiss on the forehead, which she approved of with an irresistibly cute little hum. "You know what would help cure your somnolence? Some sword practice!" he whispered into her ear.

Zelda opened her eyes again, the realization slowly dawning on her. "Oh… so that… uurmmm…" she sighed and let her head fall backwards. "Does it have to be now?" she wanted to know, in the same voice that everyone asks for just five more minutes. He gently tapped the tip of her nose, which made her smile and wriggle it. "I need to see what you can do… so, you know, if you're good enough I can just relax and let you handle everything." he cooed and she giggled. With grumbling that would have impressed even a professional like Sir Russel, she sat up and looked at him bleary eyed, both affection and deep resentment in her gaze. "Very daring of you to wake me, sausage knight… if I had a dungeon with me, you'd be dragged into it right now." she threatened with an impish smile.

"Oh dear, your own private little dungeon? What would I find in there, I wonder?" Link asked, thoroughly unable to hide a rather dirty grin. She raised an eyebrow at him. "Depends on the prisoner… for some it's more dangerous than others…" she replied, both humour and slight warning in her voice.

"I shall not inquire further. Now, will madam raise her lazy rear? Or is assistance required?" he asked, now in full cheek-mode.

She pressed her lips together in mock sternness. "Wouldn't you just love that…" she growled. It was not a question.

"I most certainly would. And let me just assure you that it would be in good hands." he chuckled and made a gesture as if lifting something up with both of his palms.

Zelda shook her head in beautifully acted disbelief. "What a world in which a letch like you can be a knight! Alright, alright, I'm awake!"

Grinning, he stood and offered his hand to pull her up, which she took. Quickly, she grabbed a ribbon from her bag and bound her hair up, so it wouldn't go all over the place. Link liked that look on her… it seemed strict and business-like.

"Now then, 'master'." she prompted, taking a particular pleasure in twisting the last word until it meant anything but. "Shall we?"

He nodded and they both moved a few metres away to a clearer spot. "Okay, how did you and Sir Alistair train?" he asked, needing to get a picture of what she was used to. He handed her one of the sticks, about a metre long.

"I repeated the forms until I could do them in my sleep. Mostly because I actually liked their elegance and power… Occasionally we would do quick sparring, but only very safely. I actually wanted to go a bit farther, but father hadn't allowed it." she described, and he believed her. She wasn't one prone to bragging, and he judged her someone who, if she had to do something, she wanted to do it properly.

"Alright, good. I've seen that you're no novice. But I have to get a feel for your fighting style. Not only to see what you can do… but, if we ever have to fight side by side, or back to back, both of us need to adapt to each other's prowess, so we can best shield each other." he explained. She nodded curtly, her eyes focused. She had switched effortlessly from playful to earnest, which pleased him greatly. It also meant she took him seriously, which was a relief.

"We'll start with some sparring…" he ordered, brandishing his stick and assuming the stance of a rapier wielder. Zelda looked surprised for a second, then took her own stance. Sir Alistair had, among countless others, instructed him in this elegant, nimble for of combat. It had not been a major focus-point, as the weapon was rarely used outside the nobility… but, as both of them had already had to learn, you don't always fight creatures… sometimes the real monsters look suspiciously hylian…

"Attack! For now I will just react." He commanded.

She hesitated only for a moment before stepping forward and aiming a series of quick jabs at him. She was not fast enough to require his full concentration, which, in this case was good. So, he could study her style and skill.

She made a quick sidestep and aimed a low thrust at his groin, before quickly moving her motion into an upwards strike, aiming for his throat. So far, he had been able to deflect everything without moving from his spot. She circled around him, trying to get through his defence with speedy and creative attacks.

After he had deflected yet another three part attack, he did his first riposte, a moderate jab at her centre mass, matching her speed. She had probably half expected an attack to come at some point, but she was still surprised and jumped backwards, whacking at his stick in reflex. He stepped after her and aimed a short follow-up swing at her head. Her surprise mostly overcome, her second parry was much more measured, not as hectic and erratic. She followed with a riposte of her own, a quick slicing motion at his throat, but the distance was ill judged and he just needed to lean back a tiny bit to avoid it altogether. That left her open and he, very gently, poked her ribs with his weapon.

He saw her frown in annoyance very briefly, but she calmed herself, stood up straight and nodded at him, admitting defeat. Link could feel that, despite her obviously knowing how it would go, her pride was ever so slightly injured. He knew that feeling well… when he first started serious training with Sir Russel, he had known that the old bear could beat him from one end of the square to the other without even breaking a sweat… but when that had truly occurred, his assumption verified, it had still stung.

If Zelda's pride wouldn't allow her to accept him as teacher and keep a neutral head, this would become a problem, and quickly. He decided to broach that subject right now, before it lead to difficulties.

"Is everything alright?" he asked, probably too carefully.

That flicker of annoyance was briefly back on her face. "Yes, yes… I'm not that tender…" she said, only the tiniest hint of impatience in her voice.

He lowered his stick and shook his head. "That's not what I mean, Zelda…" he began, unsure how to navigate this verbal minefield he was getting himself into. "I am not doing this to humiliate you, or to show you how good I am. This I promise you, and I hope you can accept that as fact. Believe me, after getting trounced an uncountable number of times, I know how you feel…" he let that sink in for a moment, watching her jaw muscles working.

"If, after today, you don't want to train with me, that's fine. But…"

"Wait, Link…" she interrupted, holding up her hand. "You are right. I am getting annoyed at you…" she muttered looking away and shaking her head at herself. "Like a damn child… to proud to just accept that other people can be better… stupid, isn't it?"

He stepped closer and put his hand on her shoulder. "It's alright, Zelda. I'm not offended or anything like that. We simply need to address it before it becomes a problem…"

She nodded and looked at his eyes, clearly a bit ashamed. He naturally didn't want her to feel that way, but right now, he couldn't help her with that. "Why, though? Of course you are better, I know that! I wasn't this childish when I trained with uncle Alistair!"

"You are not childish. And I think it's because, well, it's personal. It was much easier for me to lose to the blademaster, who I hadn't known all my life, as opposed to Sir Russel, who had always been the grumpy uncle from three houses over."

"Still, it's dumb. Naturally, you are a better swordfighter, that is what you're here for. Well… part of what you're here for…" she added with a rather roguish little grin which sent goosebumps on his skin. "Well… I always try to please…" he muttered, grinning back devilishly.

She giggled, and Link was relieved to see that she wasn't upset. She closed her eyes for a moment. When she opened them again, she was once again completely focused. He admired her self control, which was clearly superior to his. "I am ready, teacher. I will learn to deal with it."

Not for the first time today, he so badly wanted to kiss her, now out of sheer admiration. But he resisted, not wanting to disturb her concentration. Instead he nodded curtly, he took a few steps back and raised his guard. "Then… again!"

* * *

They sparred for about an hour. Without him even having planned it, Zelda learned a few things. For one, she constantly tried to keep him looking into the sun, so she had an advantage, the clever little rascal. Secondly, she learned to deal with the uneven, overgrown ground of the forest, after she probably had only ever trained on stone or sand.

She was good, and Link didn't skimp on telling her so. She was quick and nimble, her style was intelligently creative and even her stamina wasn't bad. The biggest problem, as he had rather suspected, was that she thought too much. Everything she did was planned, and when he did something that didn't go accordingly, she briefly lost her flow. He was not surprised… she was his little scholar, after all. But, the intuitive component of a battle was at least as important as the cerebral one. That, they'd have to work on.

As weird as that thought sounded in his mind, Link liked fighting with her. It was an intensely focused experience, mentally challenging and elegant. Besides… he simply liked watching her move…

They were just into their last bout now, Zelda panting quite hard due to the intense exertion. She had gotten a good bit faster, though he was pretty sure that was mostly due to her long pause in training before the attacks had started. Now she was reacquainting her muscles with the movement patterns. He could see in her eyes that she was beginning to enjoy their swordplay, liking the physical activity and the creative thinking. He hoped that she was also taking pride in his compliments, as they were certainly not meant as empty praise.

He stepped forward and, still mimicking the fencer's style, jabbed high, then feinted a low swing before changing into an upwards cut. The deception threw her off, but she coped by jumping back. Quick as a cat, she darted forward again, aiming a thrust at his face, which he deflected down and to the side. Then she made a mistake. She wanted to quickly do a follow-up thrust to still hit him in the shoulder, but it was too slow. Instead she was now dangerously close, with her stick uselessly past his arm. All he had to do was bring his own weapon back from his defensive motion and he had it against her neck.

A moment later he removed his 'blade' and they both straightened, assuming a more relaxed stance.

"I can only repeat: you are good. I don't know how hard you trained back then, but you certainly have talent." he assured her.

"Hm." she grunted with a lopsided smile, betraying her dissatisfaction. "I know that sounds rather foolish, but I thought I were better…" she said, looking thoughtful as if letting the last few moves of their fight pass before her eyes once more. "You didn't even break a sweat!"

Link sighed in a kindly chiding way and took her sword hand in his right. "First of all, yes I did. Secondly, at the risk of sounding ludicrously self-opinionated, I really am rather a bit very good…" he smirked, trying to get her to smile a bit more genuinely. He almost succeeded, but she still seemed a tad disappointed. "Come now, dumpling… don't be too ambitious! Comparing solely to me will not give you an accurate feeling for your own skill… For now, you'll just have to believe me when I say that I think you more than just proficient. Or do you think I'd lie to you about this?" he asked, more as a rhetorical question than anything else.

"No…" she answered promptly. "I do not. I can tell when you lie, remember?" she teased mischievously. He didn't doubt it.

"If it makes you feel any better, Sir Alistair could still hand my bottom to me with only a salad fork as weapon…" he chuckled.

Zelda too had to giggle, much to Link's relief. Slowly he felt that he broke through her tension. "It's so stupid but… yes, it does make me feel better. And I hate that!" she explained, frowning at herself. "Right now I am… it's not just the fact that I'm hopelessly outclassed… the simple truth is that I am getting annoyed at you. Still. And I don't want that, it's unfair and childish and I know that. So then I am getting annoyed for getting annoyed… How utterly idiotic." she judged herself, too harshly in his opinion.

"Well, to me that sounds like you might actually not be a higher being, but just Hylian like the rest of us… with a normal brain that sometimes does stunningly stupid stunts." he opined, bending down to give her a cheeky little kiss on her sword hand.

She gave him a very ladylike little whack on the calf. "Idiot…" she shook her head.

"Correct, as established. See? I'm the idiot here, not you!" he said happily, spreading his arms as if he had just come to an awesome conclusion to one of life's most pressing questions.

Despite making an adorably pouty face, she had to giggle. "Don't be too sweet, you! I haven't decided yet whether that would render me unable to fight you at all, or make me want to beat you even harder!" she threatened.

A few choice images of a slightly kinky nature popped into his head, which he put a stop to right away. "Alright, back to business then! No more flirtation, if my health is in such danger!" he pronounced, making his face particularly aloof.

"Don't you dare!" she laughed, gently pulling on his arm.

"Can you put your finger on why you are getting annoyed with me?" he asked, teasing her a bit more by not allowing himself to be pulled.

She made a pouty face that violently shook his resolve, but, for now, it held. Zelda thought about it for a few seconds. "It's odd… maybe it is because I was a child back then, but with uncle I never felt like he held back… rationally, I of course knew that he was far better than he showed, but it never appeared that way… With you I can tell that you are performing no where near your actual level." she explained, looking past him thoughtfully.

"Hmm…" Link hummed, cupping his chin. "Interesting point. I assume that is mostly due to Sir Alistair's infinitely greater experience at training people. I will work on that." he said, somewhat intrigued.

"You don't… it really is my problem if I'm getting vexed for such a moronic reason…" she said sweetly.

"Maybe. Doesn't mean I cannot help you overcome it. Any other quandaries?"

"You are not hitting me." she replied instantly.

Link actually shook his head in surprised disbelief. "Excuse me?!"

"You are being extremely careful not to hit me, or to just give me the barest touch of your stick. I am, of course, not asking you to batter me to oblivion, but I am not made of glass." she told him, cupping his cheek caringly while her look was ever so slightly scolding. "If we are fighting, I want to be treated as fighter. Even… no, especially by you."

Link swallowed. Zelda's face was dead serious… oh dear… Naturally, he understood her completely. There was nothing more frustrating than not being taken seriously. He knew exactly how he'd feel if someone like the blademaster were to just lightly tap him if he made a mistake, as if he were some fragile little bit of porcelain. He'd be ready to explode within minutes!

But… goddesses above, he couldn't just… he shouldn't just… bloody hell!

She started giggling. "You look as if you had seen a ghost!" she mocked.

"I… don't know if I can just hit you. Not even so it's a light smack…" he said dumbly.

He immediately knew that that had not been the ideal thing to say, as Zelda put her hands on her hips and looked at him like a stern teacher to a naughty pupil. "And why not? If I make a mistake I want to feel it, get a clear picture of how you hit me and when. It helps me learn. If I feel the occasional sting, that is just another incentive to become better! I think, the very first time we met, you said you were interested in seeing me fight, from swordsman to swordswoman. Treat me like one, then!" she demanded, frowning slightly.

"I am! My reluctance to smack you is not due to a lack of respect, in any regard!" he answered truthfully, but knew that she was right.

"Besides, I am not overly sensitive to pain." she continued as if he hadn't said anything. Quickly, before he even realized what she was doing she raised her stick and violently cracked it against her own calf, hard enough that Link had to wince. Zelda was ruining his Zelda!

"See? I didn't break in half. Magical, isn't it?" she asked sarcastically.

"Alright! All right." he said, raising his hands placatingly. "You are correct. I should not treat you as if you were a delicate flower, and if that angered you, I apologize. But! I must ask you to be patient with me. Again, I don't do this out of disrespect, quite the opposite! This is something I will have to learn… to overcome my inhibition." he conceded. "Also: please don't hit yourself like that anymore…" he added pleadingly.

She looked at him sternly for a few seconds, then burst out in reluctant laughter. "Mollycoddle!" she teased, shaking her head at him.

"With you, yes." he chuckled. "Are you up for a little experiment?" he asked on a whim.

"…depends?" she asked, clearly unsure what to expect.

"Let us have just one more little bout. You will understand what I aim to discover." he promised enigmatically.

They took positions and began. Zelda, now that her temper had been riled a bit was quite fierce and, interestingly, her ability to react to unplanned situations was a tad better. Link kept the fight going until he was sure that she was once again completely focused on the fight. Then, just as she was once again going for an attack, he made a 'mistake' and had his guard far too high. Her stick cracked against side and she immediately cried out, startled.

"Goddess, Link, I'm so sorry! Sorry! Damn, no! I…" she stammered, then saw his softly grinning face.

"And that is precisely why I have a problem hitting you…" he calmly said, rubbing his bruised belly.

"You idiot!" she hissed, rattled with shock and sharp anger. "You can't just let me hit you like that!"

"Why not? If you get better, it'll happen occasionally. Hit me again!" he ordered, raising his arms again to give her free access to his ribs and abdomen.

Her eyes widened. "Have you lost your mind?"

"No. I am proving my point. You are angry with me, as you should be. Hit me for it." he said.

She shook her head, not understanding, and tapped him on the thigh.

"I said hit me. Like you just did." he specified.

"No!" she answered, her eyes unsure. He hated putter her under stress like this, but he felt like this lesson was an important one. It had certainly benefited him.

"Why not?" he asked again. "This is just a part of training, not some odd, arbitrary fantasy. Sir Alistair did the exact same thing with me."

She hesitated. "You just did it by accident. I didn't break in half either. Do it!" he commanded, his voice stern now.

"Fine!" she yelled and swatted at his other side, considerably lighter than the other one he had received, but still enough to sting.

He thought about demanding her to do it again, but then relented, convinced that he had gone far enough.

"There! Are you satisfied?! Was your aim to prove that I don't wish to hit you either?! Of course I bloody don't! I hate it! You did not need me to prove that!" she growled, definitely upset now.

Link lowered his arms again. "That was only part of my goal. The actual reason for this was to show you just how difficult it can be to attack another living thing. Even an enemy." he spoke calmly.

"I… I know that!" she hissed, but her face showed how unsure she was about her own words.

"That is good! Because I sure did not." Link continued, unmoved. "The first Moblin I had to fight very nearly killed me. Why? Because I hit him like I would hit another combatant of the tourney… like I had learned to hit people all my life. Only after my animalistic survival instinct had taken control, was I able to actually fight, to _want_ to hurt it, so it could no longer hurt me. If I had been able to do that from the start, I would not have had trouble breathing for the following three days." he explained.

Link could see that his words had hit their mark. He knew Zelda had been forced to injure her attackers… he had seen it… but they had been hesitant strikes that had only worked because the assailants had been momentarily distracted. She was probably thinking of those moments now… and judging by her face she knew how difficult it had been to stick a sharp piece of metal into another being's body. And how shocking it was to see them bleed.

"I didn't know that… about you and the Moblin…" she muttered.

"It wasn't really relevant until now…" he shrugged. "But, believe me, it was a valuable lesson. The point I am trying to make is: Even after I had made you angry, after giving you full absolution, after you seeing and realizing that it's just sticks and there is no real danger, you hesitated for at least 20 seconds. Of course you did! I am not chiding you for that. Nobody, or at least nobody I want to associate with, wants to hurt others, even if it's just a harmless little bruise. AND in duelling we always learn to hold back our blows to that very end. But therein lies the problem…"

"…that we can't just shake that behaviour off even if we must…" Zelda finished for him, looking glum. He nodded. "True, actually getting attacked would be a completely different situation than this. But if you have even a fraction of that hesitancy you showed now, and I would have shown just a few weeks ago, you are in grave danger. If you are only able to attack in earnest once you are panicked, then you might not ever reach that state." he said with a certain finality to his words.

She nodded and swallowed. He let her mull over the whole unpleasant experience. "Is that how Sir Alistair gave you that lesson?" she asked.

"Pretty much to a T. Only he employed far more expletives." he answered with a tentative grin, which, thankfully, she shared.

"It is not an easy lesson to digest…" she mumbled, looking a bit lost.

He had to snort. "No. It isn't. Frankly, I am not even slightly convinced that I have fully incorporated it in my mind. This is an inhibition that both of us have built up all our lives. Tearing it back down, reliably but responsibly, will not be easy. But..." he paused to step closer again, now that he dared. Her eyes looked at his, fascinating as ever, beautiful but sorrowful. He took her hand in his again and kissed it, both in support and apology. "The reason I passed this on to you now is because I want to strike a deal with you, Zelda…" he murmured softly and gave her hand another peck. "If you want me to occasionally give you a firm smack on the bottom, I demand the exact same treatment." he finished, utmost innocence radiating from his smile.

She looked at him in utter disbelief for a second. Then she spat out with laughter, right at his face. Startled at what she had just done, she slapped her hand in front of her mouth. "Sorry!" she squeaked while giggles raked through her. Link, after the initial shock at suddenly having rather moist cheeks, joined her in splitting his sides. Neither of them remained standing as their bellies threatened to cramp up.

"You… are so… dumb!" Zelda squeaked between spasms. "Oww… I really should spank you, you know that?"

"Ohohooo! Careful! My revenge shall be swift and merciless!" he chuckled, sending them both into another minute-long fit.

They lay next to each other for a few moments longer after the laughter had finally abated, the earlier tension mostly gone, blessedly.

"You know…" Zelda began. "I am rather doubtful that your last sentence was part of Uncle Alistair's instruction…"

Link snorted. The mere thought was simply too absurd to fathom. "Ha! With your infallible sense for the truth and your matchless detective work, you have caught me in a lie!" he giggled.

"One tries…" she replied dryly.

He let a few seconds pass before he spoke again, slightly bashful. "Are… are you mad?"

"No…" she answered promptly. "I was… for a moment. But… well, I guess you can say that I understand your reason for doing it… and I accept your proposed deal!"

Even though he couldn't see her face, by her voice, he knew that she had a tantalizing, impish grin on her face. And she was lying so close…

Suddenly a violent jolt waved through the ground, lifting both of them in them briefly into the air. The ground was shaking under them, throwing them back and forth like puppets. The horses screamed in fear, and Link in shock. He attempted to launch himself towards Zelda to give her at least some stability, but by the time he had grabbed her, it stopped, just as abruptly as it had begun.

"Fuck!" Link spat before he could stop himself. "Are you alright, Zelda?"

"I think so. Yes!" she gasped.

He could feel a few scratches, mostly on his back and arms, so she was probably similarly chafed. The horses where still audibly in panic. Both Link and Zelda scrambled up and ran for them; it took quite a while to calm them sufficiently so they wouldn't be a danger to themselves any more.

Their belongings had been thrown all over the copse. "Such a furious quake… and so close after the last…" Zelda mused, shaking her head as she picked up the medicinal pouch. Thankfully, nothing seemed to be broken inside.

Link hesitated a bit before asking. "Do you think it's…"

She was silent for a moment, her face grim. "I can not be sure… but…" She didn't need to continue. Everything had been said by her tone of voice.

"I don't think this is natural either. Such intense shaking, but it lasts only a handful of seconds and starts and ends so suddenly?" he shook his head. "We should move on."

"Agreed." she said, rubbing her undoubtedly bruised shoulder.

* * *

Link was uneasy riding on horseback... and he thought he sensed that she was too. Should these enigmatic quakes of the ground return, there was no doubt they'd be thrown. The completely uncontrollable nature of that new danger made them both nervous… but what choice did they have?

The hours passed slowly… the landscape was still unchanged… forested hills, occasionally interrupted by grassland. There were many beautiful vistas to be had, but currently neither of them had an eye for them. Occasionally either he or she would attempt to break the silence, but it never lasted very long.

Link still felt a bit bad about how he had treated her… even though, he agreed with Sir Alistair, this was a lesson that needed to be learned by anyone who was in serious risk of having to defend him- or herself. And he had no clue how he could have demonstrated it better… He just hoped that she really wasn't angry with him, and that she wasn't just bottling it up… but on the other hand, he couldn't just keep asking her, whether she was alright… then she _would_ have a reason to be grumpy. He remembered his ire when the blademaster had made Link hit him. "Are you a man or a wimp?! Strike me! This is the only chance a pants-wetter like you will ever get to landing a hit on me! Do it!"

Naturally, his first strike had been completely laughable, which, of course, had led to a lot of ridicule from his teacher. Only when the old man had threatened to personally throw him out of the knight's cadre had Link hit him in earnest. The memory of the moment of absolute, hot panic directly afterwards, when Sir Alistair had groaned and toppled over, still sent shivers down his spine. But, naturally, the clever old bastard had had a very tight metal breastplate under his clothes, so he only had a slight bruise. Damn, he had hated the man that day… But despite his anger, he had to admit that it was a valuable lesson…

…oh well. If she were mad, she would let him know.

But… now that he thought about the blademaster… something that she had said a couple of times now piqued his curiosity.

"Say…" he asked for attention.

"Hm?" she responded sweetly.

"You have repeatedly called Sir Alistair your uncle… is that just an honorific?" he asked, smirking slightly.

She seemed to have caught the veiled flattery, for she also grinned. "Well… not quite…" He could see her hesitating.

"This is... a rather delicate topic..." she began thoughtfully.

"Nothing will be repeated. To anyone." he promised right away. "But I understand if you prefer not to speak of it."

She gently shook her head and smiled. "It's fine. I trust you."

Weirdly, even though he already had plenty of evidence that she did, hearing her say that still let so much pride bubble up within him that he thought it might lift him off the horse.

"Alistair is my father's half brother. My grandfather was apparently quite... prolific. I don't know why his extramarital son held any interest for him, but..." Link saw her frown involuntarily and had a feeling that he knew what she was thinking. "...but apparently _he_ was honourable enough not to abandon his child for his own convenience." she finally hissed, her bitterness about her father palpable.

He wanted to keep her talking so she didn't fall back into that pit of angst and neglect again. "So he grew up a commoner?"

She nodded after a moment. "Apparently my grandfather even visited him occasionally, and noticed that he was a prodigy with the sword. I assume the inclusion into the tourney of swordmastery might not have proven all too difficult... actually, now that I think about it, I believe the whole program about including commoners would have started with my uncle! So my grandfather changed the rules so his son could compete... huh..." she was lost in thought for a few seconds. "I don't know when and how my father and he met... and got introduced." She snorted in a noticeably derisive manner. "I can't even imagine how high and noble Tiberian would have reacted to the news that he had an illegitimate brother... but in the end, it seems, they became friends... and it's no wonder Alistair is the closest advisor to my father. Not only is he a very shrewd man, but he is fiercely loyal to his family." she described. Link was about to say something when she shook her head again, her lips pressed together in anger. "Who would have known? You show your child that you care, like my grandfather to my uncle, despite all difficulty, and something good arises from it. Quite the alien concept to some, it seems. One would think my father, having seen this demonstrated so closely, would act accordingly..." she growled. He could see how white her knuckles had gotten from gripping the reins in barely controlled fury. He knew his questions had inadvertently brought this, to her, most painful subject up... and now he felt helpless to console her.

He directed Janna close to Celeste, leaned over and stroked her back, hoping it would soothe her at least a little.

"I can feel how much this hurts you... and seeing that I cannot help you... I feel so useless..." he said, gritting his teeth.

Zelda closed her eyes for a second and swallowed. Her previously stiffened back relaxed slightly and he thought she leaned slightly into his touch. She then turned to face him and smiled warmly. "You are already helping me so much, dummy. Even if you don't realize it." she whispered. Goddess, her eyes were breathtaking! And the way she looked at him right not... it seemed as if all his worries, all his doubts were suspended, rendered completely unimportant by that one tender gaze she graced him with. Almost as if pulled by a higher force, he leaned over to kiss her, hoping she would do so in kind.

...she did. It was a little awkward, the horses' out-of-sync movement made the whole attempt into a sloppy, forehead-bumping mess. They separated again, giggling at their bumbling failure.

"I am beginning to hate you, you smelly, self proclaimed chaperones." he grumbled at the beasts.

"Really..." Zelda said between laughs. "We absolutely need to improve our proficiency in the high and honourable art of horseback-smooching."

Link opened his mouth in surprise, then made an eagerly approving gesture. "I am certainly willing to make the effort whenever you want!" he said in an overacted, noncommittal voice.

"I had a feeling..." she teased dryly. Nothing followed however... Zelda seemed a bit distracted. Her brow furrowed and she looked around.

"What is it?" Link asked.

"Do you smell that?" she said, wrinkling her nose.

He hadn't up until now... he closed his eyes and inhaled deeply.

...there was something. A distinct note of rot was carried in the air, its sickly sweet scent noticeably different from the pleasantly musty smell of the forest. It was faint, still, but it was already offensive.

Now that he had noticed it, so, apparently, did their mounts. They seemed nervous, shaking their heads and were very unwilling to continue forward.

They didn't have to go far... After only a minute they saw something that neither of them could even begin to understand. Only a few dozen steps away was what appeared to be a fissure through the forest soil, maybe ten metres in length. A low, heavy gurgling and bubbling could be heard from it... Splashed around it was... something... a black, thick fluid, maybe...

Zelda was holding her hand in front of her nose and mouth and her eyes looked very disturbed. "What in the world is that?" she asked, muffled through her fingers.

"I have no idea." Link answered, frowning. He jumped out of the saddle and grabbed his sword, shield and bow.

"You are not going to go there, are you?!" she asked, distraught.

"Only a few metres. I'm not going anywhere near that thing... take the horses back a bit before they bolt." He could see just by her eyes what she thought of that idea, but she nodded anyway.

"Don't stay too long! I have a really bad feeling about this..." she told him.

"So do I. That's why I want to know what it is..."

He slowly, carefully crept closer, always making sure that he hadn't lost sight of Zelda and their mounts. The stench became overwhelming... it alone was enough to repulse him sufficiently that he couldn't go on. Instead he circled around it until he reached a sturdy birch-tree and, fixing shield and bow to his back, clambered up. From a few meters up he could see the rift more clearly... and wished that he could not. Inside was a slowly boiling mass of thick black sludge... Link had heard of something occasionally used by Gorons, called tar... he imagined it must look a bit like that, but... the description of tar hadn't included an occasional, unnervingly unnatural shimmer of deep purple or dark red. The constantly shifting, disgusting looking mass was almost overflowing from the fissure... it even moved in an alien way... one second it was almost calm, with just the random bubble bursting, releasing a little splatter around it... the next moment there seemed to be a current in it, twisting this way and that, waving against the barely holding constraints of the blackened earth around it, glowing suddenly more strongly in this infernal red... In these moments Link felt his his heart quicken... it was as if that abhorrent filth was... reacting to him... or maybe to her?

He was just about to jump back down when he noticed two more things. One, the leafy canopy above the tear was completely withered... in fact, all of the close standing trees seemed to have died on the side facing the abnormity.

Two, what he had until now disregarded as a particularly large lump of the viscous goop turned out to have legs... four of them. It was hard to tell under the moving... pulsating blanket of blackness, but it seemed to have been a boar. He couldn't say whether it had died before this filth had erupted, or because of it. Link swallowed. It looked almost like... the repugnant stuff had formed slim, sticky tendrils that had wrapped around and later completely engulfed the poor animal... While all around the goo had splattered around randomly, here it seemed to have been guided by some unsettling purpose. A shiver ran down his spine and his mouth felt dry. Rarely before had he ever felt so immediately threatened...

They needed to leave. Now.

He jumped down and jogged back towards Zelda. Clever as she was, she had followed his circling around while keeping the distance constant.

"What did you learn?" she shouted towards him.

"It looks as if the earthquake might have caused it, but... Din's fire, I can hardly describe it. Whatever it is, it's nothing remotely natural. We..." he abruptly stopped.

He had heard something... something that made his skin go cold. He turned his head. 15 metres behind him stood what might once have been a boar... but whatever profane things this foul substance had done to it, this current existence was something altogether different.

Its bristles had fallen out almost completely, only a few random patches were left on a blackened, charred looking skin which seemed to ooze the very same dark, reddish slime. The whole animal twitched and jolted as if it wanted nothing more than to die, but a malicious power kept forcing it back from the brink... its every breath bubbled, as if the black corruption had entered its lung, and it moaned and squealed with every pained intake of air. And its eyes... dear goddesses, a fiery red was shining from them, no longer the neutral, efficient intelligence of an animal but a devilish, violent bloodlust. They radiated the promise of death... its own and everybody else's. Link's breath quickened as his stomach turned to ice. Pure fear washed over him at the sight of this perverse monstrosity Behind him he could hear Janna whinny and rear up before galloping away. Zelda yelped in surprise and had to let her reins go, lest she be pulled from the saddle. She could only barely keep Celeste from bolting too.

For now the beast was still shuddering and screaming as the blight visibly grew on its body, forming disgusting growths and pustules all over it. Link slowly drew his bow and cursed under his breath. He was too far from the horses still... if it charged, he'd never make it there. Besides... if he ran, he would lead it close to her! Not an option...

"Flee." he said over his shoulder as he backed away as fast as he dared.

"No! Sit behind me!" she yelled, trying to get her mount to go closer to him, but it just shied and whinnied in fear. The foul creature screamed in a bone-rattling, unnatural cacophony that startled him so much he nearly dropped the arrow he had just drawn. He didn't know how, but he was sure there was no more time. One last time he averted his gaze from the beast and faced Zelda, his eyes wide, both in dread and iron resolve. "Flee! Now!" he hissed, both his face and voice so full of cold, steely command that he saw the rest of all colour drain from her face, even from the distance. He could see the terror in her eyes and could almost feel her brain work frantically, trying to decide what to do...

"Do it!" he shouted vehemently, then turned back and circled around the creature. If it charged, it could not be allowed to come anywhere close to Zelda... besides, he had to fight it. A monstrosity such as this, that seemed to only consist of pain and the urge to kill, could not be allowed to roam freely. If he had any chance at it, he had to put it down.

Link felt his jaw shiver at the prospect of fighting this affront to nature, to life itself... thankfully his hands were still calm. The beast gave one final massive shudder and one more otherworldly shriek, before it stood still... still like a predator just before killing its prey. Thankfully, Celeste, its fear having grown too great, could no longer be persuaded to stay and galloped off with Zelda on her back. He only heard it, as he didn't dare to look away from the dark-red glowing eyes, that had now lost even the last spark of their former spirit... now they were but two dead, flaming orbs, promising only demise.

The moments passed like hours as both he and it stared at each other, neither of them moving a muscle. Link felt cold sweat forming on his forehead and back as he felt pierced by its unholy stare. Every fibre in his body screamed for him to run, to hide... it took all his resolve, every last drop of courage to stand his ground. Infinitely slowly, he drew the bowstring.

The hell boar charged, so suddenly and silently that he reacted almost too late. Link barely jumped out of its path, the feeling of it rushing by so unbelievably close drawing an involuntary scream of fear from his lips. Din's blazes, the thing was fast! Much faster than any being of that size had any right to! It had traversed the fifteen metres in less than a second, and it had had to accelerate from a complete stop! Once again, time seemed to dilate as the profane beast thundered past, its huge muscles visibly working, since the skin had been corroded away. Link could hear nothing but the heavy stomping of its hooves, and his own heartbeat. His jump had been a reaction of panic, more than anything else, hasty and reckless, so he had to roll as he landed. Thankfully he had enough momentum to instantly stand get back to his feet. The monster had already turned, as utterly impossible as that seemed with its mass, and was charging once again with ungoddessly speed. He yanked his bow up, drew its string so fast that he heard the wood creak in stress and loosed his arrow, all in the time of a blink of the eye. He might as well have spat at it, so much good it did... The arrow pierced its skull with a nauseatingly moist crunch, but the thing didn't even slow. No... it sped up! The sheer impossibility and the resulting shock nearly caused Link to be overrun. He sidestepped, but too late. In one last-ditch effort he turned his back to it, where his shield hung and gritted his teeth. The impact rammed his breath out of his lungs and launched him forward. He couldn't do a clean roll forward, not with the shield on his back, so it ended up as a barely controlled tumble which scraped both his elbow and his knees. He only noticed this peripherally, there was no pain right now... the fall had disoriented him and he looked around in abject panic, hoping the last thing he saw wouldn't be two brutal tusks and a pair of cruel, red eyes. Luckily, the collision seemed to have slowed and deflected the beast's relentless charge... It braked, causing a spray of earth as its hooves dug deep into it, changed course and launched once more.

Link stood and drew his sword. His breath came only raggedly. The impact had shaken his chest so vigorously that his muscles had to remember how to work his lungs. This was bad... he had one dodge left in him... then he needed more air or it would all be over...

Then he saw something that nearly stopped his heart. "No!" it escaped his lips, despite how precious every bit of oxygen was right now. Zelda was advancing in full gallop, her hair waving behind her like a golden flag, her sword drawn like one of the warrior angels of legend. Link had no idea how she had gotten Celeste to return, but they were recklessly storming to intercept the creature.

What he feared most, happened. The hellish beast changed course to, in turn, intercept her, it's agility downright impossible. Zelda and her horse, reacting as one single body, jumped, just in time. The monstrosity thundered under Celeste's hooves, its tusks just barely too short to do any damage.

Link had no time to be relieved or admire her astounding horsemanship. The two seconds of respite had to be enough! They had to!

He sprinted after the unholy creation, his renewed fear for her safety carrying his feet over huge distances with each step. It, too, had changed direction again and charged... thankfully, he was to be the target once more.

He had to kill it. Now. There was no other conceivable option. Fifteen metres away, running right at each other. Ten metres. It had to die, or it would kill her. Five metres. Something glowed within him... Some supernatural power that lent him time, revitalized his limbs when the lack of breath should have already rendered him immobile. He had felt it before, though never that close... it was... him. But also more...

Quick as lightning he ducked to the right, just the instant before he would have been gored. The thing's repulsive smell threatened to destroy his focus, but he wouldn't let it. He couldn't.

With all his considerable momentum and wielding his sword with both hands, he performed a mighty low slash with a voiceless roar. Easily, as if he were cutting through butter, all four of the creature's legs were separated with a gush of foul, thick black blood.

Its enormous inertia carried it for a long distance before it hit the ground and rolled and tumbled over and over until it heavily hit a large tree. The vile thing screamed in anger, writhing and wriggling the seeping stumps of its legs. It rolled back and forth, its glowing eyes so full of hate, squealing its unholy cacophony in one unbroken orchestra of dread.

Link had never seen anything so revolting, so unnatural, so utterly nightmare inducing. Concentrating so he didn't vomit, he dashed to the grotesque abomination. He attempted to summon the unknowable power that kept helping him one more time and with one fierce stab he pierced the creature's thorax, right through until his steel hit the earth below.

And it was still.

For an instant, he could have sworn he had seen a blue-greenish aura around his blade, but he wasn't sure... by now his vision was swimming.

He removed his sword and looked down at the monstrosity. Before his eyes, it blackened. Its bare muscles and the abhorrent growths all over it began to...char without flame! After only a few seconds the whole carcass collapsed in on itself, causing a cloud of dark dust to erupt, which made him jump back. All that remained was something like ash... only completely black.

He took a quick glance at his steel. Where just a couple of seconds ago it had been soiled with this repugnant gory miasma, it was now once again clean...

Link heard hoofbeats behind him. There was no time to waste!

"Stay right there!" he barked hoarsely, still arduously catching his breath, and coughed. He more stumbled than ran to the point where he had dropped his bow. Whatever power had given him wings, it was now spent... or it just saw no more reason to remain. His muscles trembled so much that every step was a chance to fall. He hobbled back after he had recovered his, blessedly, still intact bow.

Zelda, deathly white, opened her mouth to say something. He had no time for this, whatever it may be! "Can Celeste carry us both?" he wheezed impatiently.

She stopped, closed her mouth, then nodded. He noticed that she shivered on her whole body. A wave of sympathy hit his heart, urging him to comfort her... but there was no time! She should be kilometres away by now, damn it! Who could say that no other such horrors would spawn from this infernal rift?

Feeling impossibly clumsy with his trembling hands, he heaved himself onto the horse behind Zelda, who actually had to help him up, much to his dismay.

"Go!" he ordered once he was on. "We don't stop. Unless Janna returns, and then only long enough for me to switch. Go!"

Breathing quickly, her face fearful but determined, she nodded again and drove her mount to a quick trot.

* * *

The sun was about to go down... the lingering terror had granted their mounts surprising stamina. Once Janna had rejoined them and Link had arduously clambered into her saddle, they had more or less cantered the entire way, only interrupted by short trots where he made sure that they were still going north. Normally, any horse would have thrown such merciless riders, but getting away from the nameless horror took absolute priority for them too.

Neither he nor Zelda had exchanged a single word for hours. The heart-wrenching moment when the creature had charged her instead of him still smouldered in his very soul... despite his best efforts to calm himself, his hands were still shaking and the entire time they rode he was on the verge of throwing up. More than once his stomach had heaved and he had to been forced to swallow his own sick...

Hylian assassins were one thing, but this... this mutilated, reanimated corpse, this apparition of chaos, pain and death... there was no doubt whence this tusked nightmare had come... the Threat had shown Its power... some of it at least... and already it had come so bone-shakingly close to succeeding!

Thousands of images raced through his hysterical mind, Zelda buried under her gored horse, trampled under thundering hooves, pierced by a vicious tusk, just one brief scream, then eternal silence... he couldn't shut them out...

So... close...

All those long hours his brain worked feverishly, keeping his entire body maximally tense. Why had she come back? For fuck's sake, she was nearly...

Anger rose in him... not because she hadn't done as he had said, but because of what it had almost cost her! She couldn't be so damn reckless!

He didn't say anything... getting away was more important. So he kept his turmoil inside... where it festered and drove his heart to near fibrillation. Occasionally he felt her worried gaze on him, but he did not look back. If he did, everything would burst out of him and he couldn't risk them slowing down.

They came by a tiny rivulet, little more than a steady trickle running through the clearing they were in, and wordlessly decided to stop.

Infinitely grateful, Link flopped down from the saddle. He took a few relieved breaths. The solid ground under his feet instead of the constant wobble on horseback gave his upset stomach a chance to calm down. He knelt to have a drink from the clear water and to rinse out his mouth. For the first time in hours, the roiling in his insides ebbed a bit. Wild Mentha grew just beside the water... a true goddesssend right now! He grabbed a generous handful of the slightly prickly leaves and chewed them, greatly enjoying the fresh, cool taste that finally banished the remaining air of sick in his mouth.

Alright... before he exploded, he needed to address this...

Link turned around and found Zelda standing by the horses, visibly nervous judging by her fidgeting hands and looking at him worriedly. Seeing her fret like that because of him nearly made him weep, but he couldn't just leave this be... he couldn't!

Goddess, he was still breathing heavily, as if he had just run all the way here! And his heart was racing! Bloody hell, he couldn't remember if he'd ever been this upset! He caught himself pacing back and forth, just because of the fire of his anger...

"You are mad at me..." she began, cautiously, her voice small.

Heavens, was he? He couldn't bloody think! The hell-boar felling her horse, she flying out of the saddle and crashing onto the ground to be stampeded... the images didn't stop!

"I'm..." he wheezed, his voice high and hysterical. He closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths before trying again. "I don't know what I am!" he breathed, hectically. "What on _earth_ were you thinking?!" he croaked.

"I came back to help you." she replied. He could hear her trying to keep her voice calm, but she couldn't hide the slight tremble in it. Fuck! He didn't want her to be afraid, not of him too! But he couldn't stop himself! He was nearly crazy with fear for her and it just kept pouring out!

"I told... I told you to flee!" he panted, utterly unable to control his voice. Once again he noticed that he was pacing back and forth, involuntarily. "You nearly were... you nearly..." he couldn't finish it, instead taking another breath.

"I know, but... I had to! I couldn't just leave!" she said, defiance in her tone, mixed with the silent plea for him to calm down in her eyes. Goddesses, how he wanted to calm down! But he was powerless before his panic...

"Why? Why in Din's fucking name?" he snarled, his voice getting louder despite his attempts for restraint. "This isn't... This isn't some fucking bravado! Why do you think I'm telling you to run? Because I _want_ to be left alone? Because I _want_ to be in danger? My one purpose is to see you safe and it is hard enough without you boycotting me!"

"I am not boycotting you." she answered, warning.

"Why then?" he yelled.

"I... sensed you were hurt..." she muttered, her eyes suddenly so full of that same fear that he knew so well, that just now hurt him so. The fear for someone else...

"Well I'm not! This is just..."

"And what is that? Look!" she hissed angrily, pointing at his side, her big, stunning eyes opened wide.

Link looked down on himself and breathed in in surprise. His whole right side from chest-level down was brown with dried blood... his shirt had a ten centimetre long cut just under his armpit, and so did his flesh under it... but it was only shallow and no longer bleeding. It must have happened when he had blocked the creature's charge with the shield on his back... its tusk must have scraped over the tough wood and just barely nicked his skin as it shot past! An incredible stroke of luck... if he had turned just a fraction of a second later, or simply not far enough, his lung would have been gored right then and there! He had seen the kinds of wounds a wild boar could cause... they were vicious! Again his stomach cramped, but he forced it down.

"I didn't even notice..." he mumbled. "It's just a scratch anyway... and it simply isn't important! Even if I had been ground to dust by that thing, you shouldn't have returned!" he spat, the brief shock overcome and his panic fuelled fury back.

"You cannot..." she began, but he was having none of it.

"I do not presume to give you commands, but _if_ I do, you bloody well do it!" he hissed.

"Listen..."

"If I tell you to run while I stay to stop enemies, you run!"

"Listen!"

He ignored her. "If I tell you to hide so I can distract whoever follows, you hide!" he fumed.

"No!"

He pretended he didn't hear her. "And if I tell you to save yourself and leave me to die, you fucking do it!" he roared.

"I will not!" she screamed at the top of her lungs, making a step forward. "I will not, damn you! I won't!" Her hands balled to fists, her shoulders haunched forward aggressively and sparks of rage flying from her eyes, she stared at him with iron determination.

Their duel of will lasted ages, but... strangely, the shock and shame about how far he had driven her with his powerless wrath finally gave him the chance to sort his thoughts. The wave of pained, reluctant but nonetheless powerful anger that she had hit him with helped him to regain control... and her perceivable desperation at his ire towards her shook him to his core.

He lowered his eyes, breaking the stare, and turned his head to the side. "Then what is the point?" he asked quietly, glumly.

She, too, averted his gaze and turned her back, he heard. He couldn't blame her... of course she was angry with him... he deserved it... but his fury had not been directed at her, not really... It had been born from the earth-splitting shock of almost seeing her perish... because she wanted to save him! He raged against himself! Himself and his weakness, his inability to finish the monstrosity quickly enough so she didn't have to fear for him...

He looked up, gazing at the sky as if it had the answers he desperately sought. The last remnants of the vibrant orange sunrays were steadily giving way to the dark blue of approaching night. Both colours he liked... but they did not offer comfort right now... still, maybe they helped quiet his thoughts a bit.

The clearing seemed silent after his mindless roaring... and her exasperated answer. Only the very light murmur of the water was audible, together with a few distant crickets greeting the light's gentle fading.

Slowly he felt his heart-rate slow and his breath calm... the fiery-cold tempest that had rampaged in his mind had been put to silence by her vigour... her ire... her being so alive...

He looked back down towards the little ditch that held the stream. One, singular little sunset firefly drifted lazily over the grass... he actually felt a weak attempt of a smile on his face at the sight...

"What do you mean by 'What is the point'?" Zelda asked, her voice tense.

He looked back at her... she had not turned around again...

"I am your protector..." he started weakly. "If you do not allow me to protect you... what can I do?"

He felt so miserable... staring at her back, knowing how unfair he had been... of course she had been concerned, how could she not? But he had been so afraid... deathly afraid for her and hateful of his own incompetence. Goddess, but he had spat his bile at her... unable to control himself, like a child who had a tantrum...

He was so tired... and ashamed...

Please turn around...

She looked over her shoulder, her expression unreadable. "Is that all you see yourself as? My protector?" she questioned. There was a dangerous edge to her voice now.

Link twitched as if he had been slapped. " _No_!" He made a careful step closer, just enough so he could have reached for her, if he wanted. "No, Zelda... I... I cannot even begin to describe how intensely I want to be more than just that! With every fibre of my body and every thought I want to be more!" he nearly shouted, so desperate was his need to assure her of that. The concept that she might think he didn't care more was... soul-crushing!

"But... sometimes, I will need to be your shield first and... everything else second. Sometimes, I will have to put your safety, your life, above all else. These times, I will defend you, with my very flesh, if need by... both as your protector and... infinitely more..." He could have said it right there... said those three simple words... but he chose not to. Not because he did not genuinely feel them... he did, with all his heart... but because it would feel like a cheap way out... Not an apology, not an explanation, just a confession that would bury the problem without actually solving it...

Besides... he might have learned that there was no such thing as a perfect moment... but this was definitely not even remotely close to a decent moment to make such an important, far-reaching claim.

He had to make her understand otherwise... he had to make it be enough...

She turned to the side so, with her head still turned, she faced him fully again. Her eyes were hard and he feared the worst... but when she looked upon his honest sincerity, and his eyes so full of emotion that he dared not voice yet, her expression mellowed.

Zelda sighed and shook her head. "Come, you. Let's get that wound cleaned up."

* * *

Link sat on the grassy edge, his feet in the shallow water. He was holding a torch, so Zelda could see what she was doing. He hadn't thought about it until now, but the image of these revolting, black sludge covered tusks cutting into his flesh made his already sour stomach heave. Thankfully, she was as compassionate as ever, even when she was angry, and had immediately allayed that fear by saying that no vile substance could be seen.

Now he was just waiting, topless, until she had examined his wound to her satisfaction. He wouldn't dare interfere with her now, not if he wanted to live. "It really is a just a shallow cut. Hold still, this might sting." she muttered and put something wet against it.

He didn't move a muscle. Sure, it burned quite a bit, but after years of training with the sword he was used to it.

"Is it bad?" she asked quietly. Not for the first time he was amazed by her kindness... how many people would even care after what he had just thrown at her?

"No..." he answered softly.

"Raise your arm higher."

He did so and he felt her gently wiping the edges of the cut with the medicinal alcohol, careful not to rip it open once again.

"I'll make a poultice, I think..." she thought aloud.

He looked down at her beautiful, concentrated face as she tried to see in the dim light. More fireflies had come out of their hiding places... you could see them on the whole clearing. Not too many, but still more than he had ever seen at once. One was flying very close over Zelda's left ear... where she wore the earring...

She was so mesmerisingly perfect... and it had been so close... again!

"I'm sorry..." he whispered and his stomach turned at the thought of having truly insulted or hurt her...

She sighed, only looking at his eyes briefly before continuing. "Don't be. I understand."

He still felt the need to explain himself, despite her having said that. "I'm sorry I yelled at you... I just..." he stopped and swallowed heavily as the panic threatened to overcome him again. "When I saw that thing charge at you, I... I thought..." Finishing the sentence was simply impossible... Instead he breathed "It still haunts me..."

She had stopped her ministrations and was looking at him. He could... he wanted to lose himself in those eyes, those infinitely fantastical eyes, sparkling with such intelligence and kindness... and, thankfully, life...

"I felt it..." she said with a small voice. "...the entire way... I felt how much it tormented you..." She closed her eyes and bit her lip. Her hand wandered upwards and cupped his cheek. "But don't you see? The reason you felt this overpowering, near-maddening dread... is the same reason I came back!" she spoke, her voice quavering slightly. Her eyes opened again, moist but strong, and finally Link understood fully. Of course it was... goddess, he was such an abysmal idiot! She had returned for just the same cause that he would have... and she had probably felt a similar, heart-stopping moment when she had seen him staggering with a bleeding side... The thought of her going through what he had sent his stomach roiling again.

He tentatively took her hand on his cheek and closed his eyes, enjoying the sensation of her touch like never before. "I see it..." he answered weakly. "But I have to protect you, don't I? I have to make sure you are not hurt, don't I?" he asked, more to the universe in general than to her. To his shame, he noticed that his voice too was rather unstable again.

"You do..." she said softly, her thumb stroking over his cheekbone. "But I have to ensure your safety too, Link..." Her voice was so soothing, despite her sad tone... as if it could just take all troubles, all problems away forever.

"But you are so much more... I... I value your life more than mine..." he admitted, meaning it with all his heart, no matter how corny it sounded. He looked at her again, simply because he wanted to see her eyes and the reaction on her face. Please believe me...

A soft, kind smile greeted him. She had cocked her head just slightly so she seemed expectant. "And why would it be different for me?"

A whole spectacle of emotions flooded through him, both carrying him on wings of ultimate delight to the highest highs, and plunged him hard into the nigh inescapable depths of worry.

"But what if..." he began, but she interrupted.

"No!You fight for me..." she told him harshly and put her second hand on his other cheek. "...Let me fight for you too. I trust that you can protect me, do you hear? I do! And I am no fool. I know I cannot keep up with you... and I realize that I would just get in your way in a fight. But you cannot expect me to just stay away when I sense that you are in danger."

"But that is what I must do! Put myself in harm's way so you can stay out of it..." he replied, his voice gentle. Now, with her so close, he could feel just how much the encounter with the boar from hell had shaken her.

"I cannot do that." she simply said. "I cannot walk away when I know that you will be hurt or worse..."

"Zelda..." he began softly.

"I won't lose you!" she nearly shouted, holding his head firmly between her hands. "I won't..." Her voice trembled and her eyes were teary, but her gaze was solid, irrefutable.

Link raised his other hand and let his fingers brush lightly over her cheek, down to her shoulder, where it rested, his thumb caressing her neck.

"But what if that were the only way to go on? To save Hyrule and its millions of people?" he asked, knowing anyway that her mind was set and as unalterable as the sun in the sky.

"Then I will find another way! I would fight through hell and back to find it! There _always_ is another way!" She said it with such certainty, whether she herself felt it or not, that, to his own surprise, he felt... calmed.

He looked into her sky blue eyes and felt peace slowly return to his soul. Her beautiful eyes in her overwhelming face... he had to give it back to her as well!

Hoping he was doing the right thing, he sat closer and wrapped her in his arms. He let his cheek brush against hers, caressing her with it, drinking in her intoxicating scent. Only as an afterthought did he realize that, well, he was half-nude... it didn't matter. Not a second later she too locked him in an embrace of her own, holding him tight, her fingers digging into his bare back as if saying 'You're mine. I'm never letting you go.'

"You won't lose me... I promise..." he whispered, kissing her jaw just under her ear. He felt her shiver... then she nodded. "Don't you dare break that promise!" she breathed, planting a long kiss on the nape of his neck. But she didn't stop... she kissed him again, higher this time, still on his neck... then again, on his jaw... Slowly, gently, kissing him over and over she made her way to his lips. Her mouth burned on his, both his and her hunger bigger than ever before, driven by the near loss, the relief and their mutual love. Her hands left his back as she nearly devoured him and coursed through his hair, brushing it this way and that, gripping it fiercely, smoothing it gently.

Link kissed her back with all his fire, his tiredness forgotten. He let his hands explore, let them brush over her shoulders, down over her side, stroking her waist, going just a tiny bit lower before returning back up. Even through her shirt, touching her like this sent sparks through his entire body. But he wanted more...

Using this spell of bravery before it vanished, he used one hand to tug at her blouse so it came free of its confinement in her waistband and sent the same hand up inside her shirt to feel her skin.

Her belly twitched with a tiny sound from her mouth, but it was no refusal... just the electrifying feeling of his hand where it had not previously been. He felt her muscles relax and he continued his gentle caress, over her side, over her bellybutton.

Once again she gave these adorable little squeaks as he nibbled on her libs and played with his nose against hers. All worry, all fear... in this moment, they were nothing. Blasted away by the sheer force of affection and desire.

She grabbed the muscle on his neck with both hands and, using both her hands and her mouth against his, pushed him back so he lied down. Without breaking contact she moved her leg over him, kneeling above his stomach. Gently, using her teeth she pulled on his lower lip before resuming her fiery kiss. He could feel her soft, golden hair flow all over his bare chest and shoulders as her head moved, ever changing position on his lips. She let her hands go lower, stroking over his collarbone, then his chest, where they stopped. Her hands on his flesh, plus the pleasant, tickling sensation of her strands of sun-kissed hair... if he had not been wild before, this would drive him mad!

He used his hands, one inside of her shirt, one outside to travel to her back and pull her even closer, make the shared kiss even more intense. His drawing her towards him forced her hands to leave his chest and instead support herself with her elbows left and right from his head. Her hands free, they once again roamed through his hair, which he loved even more.

He knew what would follow... and he had no doubt that she knew too...

Let us do it! Let us, just for tonight, forget about everything else... today's horror, the Threat, our mission, everything!

As if she had heard him, she slowed her kisses and lifted her lips off his. She let them travel up to his nose, bit at the soft part of it ever so gently before planting another peck on it. Pushing herself up just slightly, just enough that they could look into each other's eyes, she opened them.

For just an instant, a new worry lodged itself into Link's mind... what... what if she expected something of him that he couldn't do? Or didn't know how to do? What did she expect of him? Would... would he be good enough?

"You know..." he said between his gasps for air. "You do know that I... that I've never... that I never did..." he admitted, sure that he didn't have to finish the sentence.

Instead of an answer she simply kissed him again... differently, more gentle... reassuring... it was a long, tender kiss, meant to set everything right.

She went up again, smiling, both gently and so tantalizingly impishly that he nearly lost it right then and there. Her face was encircled by her smooth hair cascading down all around him, like a tent of pure gold. Out of the corner of his eyes he noticed that, by now, hundreds of fireflies were dancing over the creek, illuminating her just enough so he could see clearly. He doubted she had ever been as beautiful as she was now...

She lowered her head again, this time though, aiming for his ear. Her whisper tickled his cheek.

"We will learn together."


	38. Chapter 37

**This is a lemon. You have been warned.**

Chapter 37

Together

After her words they looked in each other's eyes for an infinite second, panting, flushed, looking for that last bit of wordless confirmation.

Both felt their mouths twist into a grin, both nervous, yet mischievous. It was all the reassurance they needed...

Link, flexing his abdominal muscles, went up to meet her once more, her magnificent body still hovering so tantalizingly close above him. His face crashed into hers, a bit stronger than he had meant to, but it didn't matter. She giggled into his kiss, scrunching up her slightly squashed nose. "Someone's hungry..." she whispered, amused.

"Starved..." he breathed back and let his lips once again caress hers. Zelda's mind was vibrating with desire upon hearing his lustful, raspy voice. It was just this tiny bit frightening, just enough to be wildly exciting. Using his considerable strength, he sat up, pushing her back. She knelt, his legs between her knees. Link, his ever increasing arousal emboldening him, removed his probing left hand from inside her shirt and brought both to the front. Zelda nearly made a disappointed whimper... his slightly rough hand on her naked skin had pleased her to no end... But when she realized his new goal, she felt her face grow hot and her breath quicken all the more. Not breaking his intensive sucking and nibbling on her lips, he had opened the top button of her blouse... and the next... and the next...

With his fingers occasionally brushing against her chest, she couldn't suppress those weird, excited squeaks of hers anymore... she hoped that he didn't find them odd, or worse, disturbing the mood...

He showed no sign of stopping... his hands went ever lower, the row of buttons already halfway cleared...

Her heart fluttered... she felt like she wasn't getting enough air... his busy fingers were now against her belly, making her thoughts go numb, fraying her composure. She had to do something with her hands! Following pure impulse, she grabbed his shoulders and squeezed, more to hold on to something strong and stable than anything else...

He stopped. Link thought frantically what to do. What did her pressing his shoulders mean? Had he been to bold? Was he too fast again? Goddess, above, please don't say I ruined it!

Her hands relaxed slightly and her mouth left his and she breathed in sharply. "Don't stop... not now..." she squeaked, her voice fluttering. Releasing the tense breath he had been holding in relief, he looked down to open the last few pesky buttons that stood in his way. Her ivory flesh blinking through the crack of her almost open shirt drove him to near mindless haste. His hands couldn't wait to be on her skin again, trembled for that unique, exquisitely smooth feeling. But only after... every... last... button was...

There... now only one little matter remained...

Despite every nerve and muscle in his body was egging him on to be quick, he let all ten of his fingers travel slowly upwards over her belly. Again, she twitched, as if her delicate, flat tummy wanted to flee from his touch. But it was only reflex, all her nerves maximally taut... her skin yearned for his hands just as much as his hands lusted for its exploration. Still, he halted, despite the sight of his fingers under her open blouse sending him into all new heights.

Zelda relaxed her muscles, with considerable conscious effort, signalling him to continue. Her hands once again squeezed his shoulder, which she didn't even notice. He didn't react to it this time anyway.

When his fingers reached her bra, another tiny squeak escaped her throat. His fingers were cold... possibly because he was just as heart-stoppingly nervous as she was? That was at least some comfort...

He let the tips of his fingers move just the tiniest bit under the fabric, enough to make her racing breath even quicker. Between her flesh and the rim of her bra, he travelled to her back again, where he stopped.

Until now, her eyes had been closed... the sensations of touch were too strong, she doubted she could have seen anything at all, even were they open... now she had to! Why did he stop?

His eyes were fixed on hers, jittering back and forth... his face blushed, his expression questioning, almost pleading and infinitely cute...

He will see me... He wants to see me... and I want him to see me too...

Biting her lower lip, she nodded. He smiled as if she had just given him the best present imaginable, but only briefly... it was replaced by that intensely erotic look of hunger and lust and excitement and nerviness... she loved it!

His fingers got to work again as her flesh broke out in goosebumps, thinking what he was about to uncover. For an instant she felt fear... what if he didn't like what he saw? What if he only liked... fuller women? Would they even be able to continue after that?

The clasp came undone... she drew both her lips in and bit on them to keep herself from screaming out of sheer tension. The revelatory moment... she feared it intensely, but it also couldn't come quick enough for her...

She shut her eyes, firmly. She felt him remove it... Every fibre in her body roared for her hands to cover herself, but she resisted. His fingers brushed against her shoulder as he, infinitely gently, pulled her blouse away and down her arms. She followed, removing her hands from his shoulders so he could remove it, exposing her fully. She felt her now naked shoulders tremble... her nerves let this warm night appear cold. Multiple times her hands twitched, ready to cover her chest, but still, she wouldn't let them. She wanted this... her heart seemed ready to explode, but still... she couldn't even describe how much she wanted him to see her. And more...

Her eyes were still closed... she didn't dare look at his face, didn't dare see his expression, fearing a glimpse of... disappointment? Indifference? Anything less than arousal? It took nearly five seconds before her curiosity grew stronger than her fear. She opened one eye...

Link looked upon the goddess in front of her. Despite it feeling completely inappropriate, he couldn't help but smile like an idiot. So beautiful...

Fireflies danced around them both, lending just enough light to see everything.

He had technically already seen her shoulders, her belly, her waist, but... seeing her now, complete, was unendingly more breathtaking! The elegant curve from her slender neck to her shoulders... Her slim waist, her flat belly with a bellybutton that just invited a kiss, or a hundred... and now her shapely breasts, as he thought, just large enough to be a handful... ivory, like all of her skin, with a slightly darker nipple... he couldn't quite see the colour, it was too dark... but it was erect, inviting, awaiting his touch... and only his...

She was afraid, he could feel it. She shivered... he did too... He noticed the sky blue of one of her eyes, which seemed to shine brightly even in the night. Her face, nervous, hopeful, begging him to say something. But how could he? How could he say anything that did justice to what his eyes perceived? How could an ant hope to describe an angel?

Her innocence and cuteness fanned the flames of his lust even higher. He grabbed her waist with both hands and pulled himself to her face once more. For a few seconds, she was so tense and stiff, he was afraid she was in shock. Then she melted into his kiss, reciprocating it more and more until her fiery fierceness that he adored so much was back.

"So beautiful..." he whispered between their deep kisses. "So beautiful..." He repeated it until he was sure she had understood.

Zelda's mind was once again racing, but now from pure desire. His kiss, more desperate, more passionate than ever before, told her all she needed... curbed her fear, allayed her doubts.

"So beautiful..." He said it again and again... she loved him for it, loved his understanding of her, loved how he comforted her... it only fuelled her need. So emboldened by his words and actions, she let her hands wander, let them trace his firm muscles, starting from his shoulder, over his chest, down to his strong belly. She delighted in the feeling of her fingers over the hard lumps around his navel, letting them brush over them countless times. Zelda kneaded his maddeningly sexy chest, enjoying the feeling of his flesh in her hands... she hoped her exploring would push him to do the same... Now that her brief spell of worry was overcome, she wanted him to resume his touches, wanted him to discover the new territory with his skin as well. The look on his face when he had seen her... his dumb grin, his fascinated expression, his beautiful eyes sparkling in pure joy... she wanted more! She wanted him to do that face again, wanted to see it when he looked at her, touched her, felt her... That brief memory of him, eyes glinting in pure, powerful desire... She felt the wetness between her legs grow in sheer anticipation... normally a source of shame, but not now... not with him... never with him!

But now he was too bloody slow! She took his left with her right and gently led it from her waist upwards. He seemed to take the hint as his other hand followed suit. The excitement as his fingers trailed ever closer made her feel faint...

Link felt the muscles in his arm tremble as her hand led him up. The simple act of her inviting him so explicitly, so unmistakably made his erection strain painfully in his pants. She was just too damn sexy... especially when she was a bit naughty...

His fingers found soft, yet firm flesh. A soft whimper from her lips against his told him he was where she wanted him to be. Her hand returned to his body, which sent electricity through his skin directly to his brain. Throwing caution to the wind, he let his left hand move to cup her breast, feeling both the delicate tenderness of it and the surprising rigidity of the nub that crowned it. The world started dancing and twisting in his head, so intense was the rush of excitement, so perfect was the feeling in his palm. His right followed, despite his jittery nervousness, painfully careful... feeling it... squeezing it... kneading it...

He could feel her react, felt her breath against his face, felt her body move on its own, heard her tiny, high, supremely adorable moans... the sensation of his hands causing her to make these noises, these urgent contortions of her body... his manhood rubbing against the fabric of his trousers was almost enough to send him flying over the edge, but not quite... While most of his will was aimed at pleasing her to the best of his abilities, a strong, selfish part still yearned for her touch down there... But that could wait... for now he was content in submitting to her needs, being her slave, existing only to drive her on, let her reach new, tremendous heights. His thumbs brushed against her nipples... lightly, still afraid that every touch might be too much, hopelessly ignorant of where pleasure ended and pain started...

He felt her giggle slightly, felt her tummy tense and her mouth twist against his... Ticklish, are we? For some reason, even her giggles were wildly erotic to him at the moment... Well, let's tickle you a bit more!

Though not without regret, his lips parted with hers... he heard her sharp intake of air, and her quavering, trembly exhalation... He let his lips travel along her jaw, opened his eyes briefly to see the earring... it too gave him courage for the delicious madness he was about to do. Kiss after kiss, he made his way down her neck, taking his time, teasing her... Link was sure she knew where he was going... he suspected she might know more than him about love-making, even if it was just knowledge from books...

Using just his lips, he pinched the sensitive skin on her neck and felt her move her head to the side, making this side of her even longer so he could fit more attention on it.

Zelda bit her lower lip as she felt Link's nibbling on her neck. His mouth travelling lower excited her mightily... thought the pace was almost infuriatingly slow! He went all the way to her shoulder before trailing down her clavicle bone. More and more her she lost control of her body, occasionally stretching in tension, then buckling in delight, while her skin was an intense dance of hot and cold goosebumps.

Now she stretched, almost through no conscious will of her own, to let him access his goal easier... almost...

He trailed downwards, ever closer, tilting slightly to the left. She felt her blood pumping in her neck at a speed which seemed nearly dangerous.

Finally, after what seemed like a century of waiting, his lips found her breast, anxious for his caress. She felt his lips close around her nipple and, involuntarily, her hands hugged his head, pulling it closer, combing through his hair... She moaned softly as her fingers gripped his messy, enticing strands... Sensations that she could never have imagined coursed through her... not only the sheer erotic pleasure that sent bolts of lightning both to her brain and further down, but also the simplistic closeness, the understanding, the mutual feelings of desire and affection... By now she was no longer kneeling above him, but sitting on his legs, as her knees had given out... she felt his hardness between his thighs against her and nearly burst with emotion at this most direct, most honest flattery.

His lips were getting bolder... she felt them squeeze around her sensitive flesh while his tongue caressed it inside his mouth. What little ability to think had been left to her now felt completely gone. She buried her face in his hair, breathing in his masculine scent that sent her flying even more. Despite knowing that, technically, this was only the beginning of their explorations of each other, she didn't want him to stop, ever. Her fingers clenched, as did her legs, briefly, as she inhaled sharply... A foaming wave of pleasure had broken over her… short, sweet, unexpected…

"Ohh, goddess..." she whispered against his head, barely in control of her own voice. She heard him sigh steamily and his hot mouth left her left bosom to finally pay attention to her right. Both the cool feeling of the evening air around her now wet nub and his hot lips sucking on her other heightened her arousal. Another moan escaped her throat, longer this time... still, she felt a tiny bit embarrassed at this display of sexual thrill, but that notion was quickly ebbing away, buried by other, so much more important sensations.

Firing up her curiosity even more, she felt his erection move, strain even stronger against its confinement and push against her centre as he heard her voice. Once more, feelings of comfort, excitement and lust thundered through her at feeling his reaction to her. She also felt it was time for her to do something... she couldn't let him have all the fun, now could she?

Despite absolutely adoring the feeling of her fingers in his hair as he nibbled on her, she let her hands travel lower, past his chest, past his belly...

Careful, not really knowing what to do, she placed her right hand on the bulge in his pants. His reaction was as immediate as it was delicious to her. His entire body convulsed, he moaned, his lips, just for an instant, closed so tightly around her breast that it almost hurt... all that from one simple touch through two layers of fabric... For the first time in what seemed like ages, Zelda opened her eyes and looked down, past his head to her hands on his crotch. She couldn't say what made her more giddy, the sight of his face buried in her chest, or her hand down there, on his hardness. Infinitely curious, she rubbed it, trying to get a feel for it through his trousers... She felt his hot breath against her breast covered with his saliva as he moaned.

Even though she thought it wildly erotic, it seemed to restore some of her thinking mind. "Someone's hungry..." she whispered in his ear, delighted at seeing goosebumps forming on his shoulders.

He didn't answer, or couldn't. She didn't care. Now she only wanted to get him to the same heights as he had brought her...

Link shuddered... her hand was right there! Right there! When his lips had found her beautiful, smooth, infinitely appetizing breast he had thought that, if they were to stop here, he would have no regrets. Now everything had turned upside down once again! All thinking had trickled away, decidedly downwards. Farore's mercy, he could feel the warmth of her hand through his trousers now! His face was leaning against her chest, the delightful softness still part of its world, but despite him unwilling to stop, he couldn't even concentrate on suckling any longer.

Then her hand left and he wanted to scream for it to return, just until his intoxicated mind realized what was about to happen. Both her hands against his belly, her fingers pointing downward, they were already between his skin and his pants. He felt the muscles in his abdomen contract, just as hers had done, before consciously relaxing them again. Almost as if in a trance, his hands left her skin to push against the ground, lifting his bottom off, hoping to all three that she was indeed about to do what he hoped she would.

Oh goddess...

Slowly he felt his underpants move, guided by her hands. Further and further they slid as time seemed to come to a near stop. Suddenly he could intimately feel even the slightest brush of her hands against his thighs, his face against her chest, her still clothed legs against his... suddenly everything was a source of excitement and his breath briefly caught in his throat. Goddess above, she would see! See... all of him! Instantly he could understand the moment of fear he had sensed in her. But... she wanted to... she was undressing him! Whole firestorms coursed over his skin at the realization. He felt himself swallow... despite everything, he still was a bit ashamed of his body... especially this part which was so stubbornly out of control. But nonetheless, there could be no question that he wanted her to continue. His excitement even heightened by fear, he craved her looks... and her touch.

Time returned as if it had never left. Link opened his eyes as his trousers were nearly far enough that he would be fully exposed. He didn't want to seem as if he was hiding...

Leaning back just a bit, avoiding to look at her face for now, he saw as his manhood jumped up, finally free of its prison, the night air cool over hot skin.

Goddess, her fingers were close... just a hand's breadth away, still grabbing the fabric of his pants. She was still...

His curiosity and uncertainty taking the better of him, he looked up at her face. Many things he had expected and feared... worry, insecurity, disgust, even fright... But not this... for just an instant, while looking down, she had that scholarly look, as if identifying a new, captivating specimen. Then her eyes swivelled up to his and her face instantly became a mischievous, almost devilish smile... so much so that, just for a second, he was slightly afraid...

"Someone's hungry..." she repeated for the third time with that naughty look that violently threatened to shatter his composure.

Despite wanting to grab her hand and lead her to his middle, he too gave her a breathless grin. "Can you blame me?" he asked.

"If you weren't, I might…" she mumbled. Her hand twitched... he could feel her hesitation. But at the moment he was too... everywhere and, frankly, too bloody afraid to know what to do. His whole body was quaking, both anxious and yearning for her touch... The sight, and feel, of his exposed stiffness to, undoubtedly, his dream-girl, was... too indescribably surreal for him to even hope to react...

He didn't have to hope...

Zelda, swallowing, her fingers trembling, she let her right hand move towards him. She couldn't say what she had expected... to see or to feel... Now, that he was before her, bereft of any defence... she found she liked the sight of him even more... Whether it was that ultimate sign of trust from him to her, or just her considerable arousal, it didn't matter... what she saw pleased her... and, despite having been vaguely fearful for what seeing him down there might cause her to feel, she... knew she lusted for it as another part of him to love. It was neither weird, nor fearsome, nor repulsive... it was him. And he was hers.

Her fingers brushed against him and she heard his shuddering breath… she hesitated, completely unsure what to do… she realized that despite all theoretical knowledge, she still had really no concept of… anything. How to touch, where to touch, what to bloody do…The last thing she wanted right now was to cause him discomfort… the thought of him pushing her hands away, telling her that it wasn't working at all, was a dreadful one… She felt his apprehension, though her own mind was far to befuddled to detect whether it came from anticipation or worry… Then again… he had, so far, known what to do, hadn't he? Instinctively, that is… maybe it all wasn't so terribly complicated as her ever persistent analytical mind thought?

Trying to rekindle some of her earlier boldness, she let her fingertips touch it again and remain... Again, a sharp intake of air, but also a twitch from his hips, decidedly towards her hand and not away… Gently, she let her questing hand grab it, which caused his belly to spasm and him to sigh. Unable to stop herself from grinning, she let her hand move towards the tip of his part. Another sigh, as well as an involuntary movement from his leg, rocking her whole body. A nervous, but quite delighted giggle escaped her… she loved the noises he was making, loved his helpless twitching, the intensely concentrated and erotic look on his face, eyes closed and jaw clenched… Zelda also had to admit that she liked the feel of him in her hand, the soft, yet unexpectedly rigid and hot feel of his manhood… It was a wildly exciting sensation to be gripping him there and to see what it did to him. When her hand had reached his tip, she brought it back down, slowly peeling his foreskin away, revealing the slightly darker skin underneath. The effects on him were immediate and magnificent. A shuddering moan, a spasm through his body and his hips involuntary bucking so he slid even further through her fingers. She smiled with glee that such a simple touch could turn this strong, confident warrior to putty in her hands, that a tiny movement on his flesh could send him cascading into pleasure that he couldn't even control himself any more. Biting her lip impishly, enraptured, by his adorable helplessness in her hands, and his complete submission, she began moving her hand rhythmically up and down. Despite the sight of his strangely appealing member in her palm fascinating her to no end, she wanted to look at his face again. By now his head was thrown back, his mouth open, breathing fast and heavily… The acutely erotic display of enjoyment on this gorgeous boy's features even furthered her own arousal. The thought of what would hopefully come next nearly took her breath away from hot anticipation… but for now, seeing him like this, seeing his body react so violently to her every tiny movement… not in her wildest dreams had she thought that she could get this thrilled…

Link was lost… his body was sending new, unspeakable signals crisscross through every nerve and muscle… No nocturnal alone-activity he had done could even come close, could even compare to what her wonderful, fantastic hand was doing to him right now. He had completely, willingly, relinquished control over to her and the sheer might of the pleasure she was giving him nearly made him lose his mind.

It only took only 10 seconds, maybe, before his pleasure threatened to culminate in one mind-shattering climax… despite every cell in his body praying that it might continue, he didn't want to… Did she know what would happen if she continued? It would go… everywhere!

Oh goddess… his hips bucked one last time and he knew it was too late… He felt the first violent convulsion of his orgasm, and at the same time the heart-stopping dread of her being disgusted by what would come of it! In a barely coordinated action his hands snapped over his member just as he felt his own release…

To his absolute shock, he saw that he had been too late… a little bit hit Zelda's naked shoulder! Panic yanking him agonizingly out of the glorious moment, he felt his eyes widen as he perceived her surprised expression as she looked from his cupping hands to her side where he had hit her. So excruciatingly interrupted in his high-point, he was now nearly stunned and had no idea what to do.

"Oh goddess Zelda I'm so sorry, please, oh shit, I'm… here let me… argh!" he stammered, his heart pounding. He had almost tried to wipe off the blob on her skin with his hand, with which he had just deflected most of it, and had only barely stopped himself in time. He reached over to the stream, washing his hand in horror-fuelled haste before wiping the disgraceful trace of his climax off of her pristine skin. "Th-There, off… I'm such an idiot, I'm sorry, I…" he blabbered, as he looked at her face, expecting stunned revulsion, but… wait… she was… looking amused?! What his eyes told him made so little sense to his brain, that he just stared, dumbfounded. Then she exploded in laughter, which confused him even more. What in the world was going on?!

Her left hand gently cupped his cheek. "If only you knew how adorable you just were!" she squeezed out between giggling.

Still befuddled by her apparent lack of outrage, he tentatively asked: "So… you're not upset that…"

She scrunched up her face in a softly chiding way and shook her head. "Dummy!" she growled and pulled him towards her, so that she could kiss her. Slowly the abject panic was replaced by relief. Link felt himself join into her giggling, now light-headed that the horror he had been sure would follow, turned out to be completely unfounded.

"Goddess, I was so sure you would be… well… disgusted…" he muttered when their kiss broke, glancing up at her, still a tiny bit doubtful.

"Well…" she said pensively, raising her right hand… which was… covered… much to his renewed shock. She inspected it critically, obviously slightly unsure what to make of it, rubbing her rather slippery fingers. Link watched her, wide-eyed, hoping that, well… it wouldn't put her off future… adventures together…

Finally she shrugged and casually rinsed it off in the stream. "Not that special, really…"

He released the incredibly tension filled breath he had been holding. "Din's hellfire, I… I thought you would, well… have a fit…" he mumbled truthfully.

She snorted, again with that slightly chiding expression. "Why? I can just wash it off!" she chuckled. Link couldn't even fathom his own relief… but then again, what had he expected? This was the girl that hadn't hesitated to go into a soot covered smithy, that had gleefully joined him in a mud-fight, that had proven that she didn't fear blood and gore…

"Besides…" she said, interrupting his introspection. "…it definitely means that I did something right, doesn't it?" The look of mischief on her still erotically flushed face, combined with that impish, sexy voice of hers… Link swallowed and felt the fire in his loins return. The brief moment of panic had wilted his member, but now… with her still clearly in the mood… he sensed the blood flowing eagerly back. And with it his hunger… With his climax so brutally interrupted, his body yearned for more…

Zelda, a little surprised, saw the inferno take hold of his eyes once again, instantly, as if she had flipped a switch. Before she could react, he lunged at her, as hungry as before, and continued devouring her lips. As she felt his arousal, her own lust, only briefly suspended, returned in full force… she had been mildly disappointed when he had, well, gone limp in her hand after his orgasm… she was delighted and, weirdly, proud that it was her that had availed him this glorious moment, and found that she would love the opportunity to do it again, only to glimpse his adorable face at his apex again, but… still, it would have left her without such release… But now, seeing, or, more accurately, feeling how alight he still was…

With a low, almost animalistic growl he took hold of her shoulders and pushed her back until she was lying on the soft grass. Their mouths were locked together, as were their hips. She felt his once again rigid member pressing against her belly, which sent those amazing sparks through her brain again. Goddess, she was dying to touch it again, but… she had dominated him enough, for now… She gladly gave control back to him as he pinned her under his body, which was equally exciting, but in a different way. His hands once again trailed downwards, found her breasts again, which made the world turn inside her head. She adored his touch there, but… hopefully he would go even further?

He slid slightly off of her, much to her disappointment, but, delightfully, that gave him room to let his left hand travel downwards.

Zelda's mind roared and trembled at the prospect of what he would do next… the possibilities, the uncertainty, the almost complete submission to his whim… nothing imaginable could top this excitement she was feeling.

His mouth, too, left and made its way down, trailing kisses as it went. His questing lips found her awaiting nipple just as his fingers were at the hem of her trousers. Her senses went wild, she almost had an attack of vertigo as the blood rushed through her veins… She felt her middle eager for him, wet and tingling… A quick thought was spent for hoping that he would be… informed what that meant, but… for now, all her doubts were buried under layers upon layers of pleasure and lust.

Because her head was spinning, she had to grip his hair, and the firm muscle on his back, to regain some stability… He seemed to take it as encouragement, which she didn't mind at all. He redoubled his ministrations with his mouth, both tonguing and sucking on her sensitive skin… and, finally, he allowed his hand under the waistband and to the place where she so eagerly wanted it to be…

Link's world was tumbling deliciously down into wonderful, sexual madness. The indescribably excitement of feeling this magnificent girl under him, twisting and trembling as his hand meandered to her middle made him wish it could last forever. It was surprising to him how much pleasure he could derive from simply making her feel good, giving her all the attention, without expecting anything back… like she had done before…

As his fingers entered her pants, brushed briefly over a few crisp, yet soft hairs and found a wonderful, warm wetness to explore, he nearly lost all composure though. His once again painfully erect manhood demanded to be introduced to where his hand was, but Link elected to be patient a little longer.

He tentatively let his fingers cup Zelda's middle, which made her whole body writhe involuntarily, and moan in that squeaky way which he adored to no end.

Goddess above, he loved seeing her reactions, they thrilled him spectacularly. But… well… he felt that the whole situation was a tiny bit unfair… him completely nude and she still half clothed…

Gently, he let his hand slip back out, not the least bit put off by just how wet it had become in mere seconds… on the contrary…

"No…!" she whimpered, her voice high and shaky.

'Someone's hungry…' He didn't say it, but the realization of her sexual arousal still filled him with glee. Instead he gave her a brief but very intense kiss on the lips before letting his hands open the bindings of her trousers and pulling her downwards. Giving a tiny squeal, she raised her bottom. Once the pesky things were off, he, well, attempted to steal a glance at what he had uncovered… sadly, that was doomed to fail… while the fireflies shared just enough light for him to make out her ivory skin and even her facial expression, it was too dark to go exploring down there… another time, then, he thought, and the idea filled him with anticipation for hopefully hundreds more such enchanting, breathless, heart-pounding occasions.

His visual sense impeded, he immediately resumed his attention to his sense of touch… that, at least, didn't depend on light…

Zelda felt herself tremble and the goosebumps were back on her shoulders. There she lay, utterly naked before him… It was a bit like before, but better… and worse… She wanted him to see her, completely, everything off… she wanted to be naked, with him… But for now, she was glad for the darkness. The idea of him… eyeing her down there… closely, was… disturbing… yet oddly arousing as well.

There it was! That face again, that beautiful expression of pure, innocent, mesmerized joy… that wonderful, soft love on his features, just by looking at her! Goddess, she could lose herself in his eyes, this moment could last forever for all she cared! But… She too wanted to see more of him, she admitted to herself… and blushed, which she found absolutely ridiculous after what they had already done… But still… she wanted to see every last bit of him, touch every singly spot… and kiss it… just as she wanted that done to her by him. All those thoughts raced through her mind in an instant upon seeing his handsome face, gazing upon her in pure bliss. There were no words for how much it excited her!

But she was suddenly yanked out of her reverie when his hands once again resumed their questing. Before she could think, his fingers were once again between her legs, which instantly banished all coherent thought in favour of mindless ecstasy. Involuntarily she clamped her legs together, which, on one hand, pressed his hand even closer to her, but also left him little room to manoeuvre.

"Am I… Am I hurting you?" he asked, clearly worried.

"No!" she nearly screamed. "Keep going!"

Fighting against reflex, she loosened the muscles in her legs to allow him the access that he, and she, desired.

His fingers moved and sent her flying through wet, hot clouds of lust. She could feel every tiny movement, all her attention centred around her sex. She felt her body twitch uncontrollably as his fingers parted her lips… It was obvious he had no idea what he was doing, but just the sensation of being touched by someone else… him… it drove her wild! She reached between her legs and grabbed his hand. She searched until she had found his index and middle finger, then guided it up and down a few times, before showing them the place to enter her. As she did so, felt his mouth once again close around her breast, much to her delight. With both his hot tongue and his fingers caressing her, she felt close to bursting from intensely tingling pleasure. But she held herself back, as hard as it was.

"Link…" she breathed. "Please… now…" She hoped he would understand.

He stopped and raised his head to look at her. His face was flushed, excited, maddeningly erotic… and questioning. He understood. She nodded.

Quickly, eagerly, he moved between her legs, which she had now spread for him. She had to watch… the sight of him, hovering between her thighs, his manhood so very close to her middle… the tension was nearly enough to make her scream like crazy!

He leaned forward, supporting himself with his right, leading himself with his left. She felt it touch her, a rain of electricity pouring over her, every sense heightened to the extreme. Slowly, she felt him put pressure on her… She felt his thundering arousal almost as much as her own… it took all his self control to go as slowly as he did… but she was thankful…

Tentatively, he entered her, the feeling of his flesh inside hers stampeding all over her senses. He breathed something unintelligible, lost in his own almost overpowering arousal and pleasure… Zelda felt his hardness spread her, millimetre by millimetre, wonderfully gently… A sudden, slight twinge of pain… she gasped slightly and grabbed him somewhere.

He stopped instantly. "Is it bad?" he asked between his own heavy breaths.

She shook her head. It wasn't. Just a bit sudden… "Just wait… please…" she breathed. She hoped, she prayed that they wouldn't have to stop… not because of this... hoped that it would just go away...

She felt him lower his head, obviously careful not to move his lower body. His lips brushed lightly against hers, soothing, asking wordlessly for her wellbeing… Lifting her head, she returned his affection, hoping to mend the dent in his and her arousal that the pain had caused. She placed her hand in the nape of his neck and pulled him closer. He left her lips, raining kisses and nibbles over her cheek, her jaw, her neck… He knew just what to do… the pain faded, washed away by renewed, even more potent desire. Tentatively, she moved her hips, wanting to feel him again. That spot within her still felt a bit raw… but the sensation of his member kissing her innermost place, and the pleasure it brought were far more powerful. Absentmindedly, she noticed that the place she had grabbed her earlier was his right buttock… perfect! Now, instead of bracing against it, she gently pushed him down.

He responded immediately, none of his erotic hunger gone. As tenderly as before, he buried himself in her, further and further… Zelda gasped multiple times, sometimes when it stung, but definitely mostly in pure pleasure. He, too, moaned throatily, his mouth just by her ear… She felt him tremble in her and in her hands, just as she trembled herself. She felt his hip against hers, delightful warmth spreading through her from his entire length, from where he entered to his tip deep within her. He lay on her now, belly to belly, chest to chest… He exhaled, groaning in ecstatic pleasure by her ear…

Zelda felt complete… with him against her… within her… she was complete… she closed her eyes and embraced him, pulled him close, letting her one hand rest on the back of his head, where it could ruffle his hair. Right now was the perfect moment… She enjoyed the sound of his heavy, lusty breathing. She enjoyed his mind-numbingly sexy smell, more intense now than ever before. She enjoyed the feeling of him all over her, the feeling of maximal closeness to him, both physically and emotionally.

Paradise.

He waited… she realized he was waiting for her… This incredibly selfless boy, who probably wanted nothing more than finally ravage her… Zelda felt so much love stream warmly through her mind and body that tears welled up in her eyes… thank goddess he couldn't see her right now. She decided to suspend this emotionality for now… and get back to what they both wanted.

Still having him pressed so wonderfully close against her entire body, she began moving and twisting her hips. The pleasure was intense, even the little movements deep within her were wildly stimulating.

Taking her invitation he lifted his hip as far as it would go while being held by her, then, still gently, thrust it back down.

Inside her head, everything went white. Thank goddess she hadn't let him wait any longer!

Link, already barely in control of his own body, felt his mind go numb while his body went hopelessly aflame. He had waited all he could… waited for her command, her signal, any tell that he could go ahead… everything, from the tips of his hair to his toes was on fire, yearning to move…

If he let himself, he knew he would hit his climax immediately, so potent was the feeling of being inside her, completely engulfed by her wonderful, hot body. It took all his concentration not to go absolutely wild… both because he feared hurting her, and because he hoped that she might join him in this near mindless ride to the peak of pleasure.

When she grinded her hips against him and let him feel himself inside her, all restraint was lost… He moved, purely on reflex, giving nearly all control to his body, just barely holding on. He heard himself groan, not of his own volition, as the incomparable feeling of being in her drove him to near insanity. He couldn't focus on anything else… maybe her hot breath against his shoulder as she held on to him… all inhibition, all worry was forgotten… he moaned and whimpered into her ear as he tried to move for maximum pleasure, his whole body quaking, unable to process the immense sensations coursing through him. Pleasure, love, devotion, affection… all concentrated wordlessly in this moment. While all his longing in his hopelessly overwrought brain was looking for its release, there was still a part of him that prayed that he gave her pleasure too…

Zelda gasped and moaned in ever increasing intensity. Every time she felt him penetrate her innermost places she couldn't help but squeak in pure delight. She had her face buried in the place where his shoulder became his neck, breathing in his scent at every turn, gripping the flesh on his back and his hair.

She was close… so deliciously close… all his prior ministrations had made sure of that… nothing mattered, just the pure, innocent feeling of him close to her, lost in a wild, barely controlled dance of constantly changing domination and submission.

His moans of intense pleasure were the song of angels, his breath against her ear the most gentle wind, his hardness inside her the gift of the goddesses, driving her to unimaginable new heights.

She was almost there, almost… how much she wanted to share this moment with him… this and every moment… she hoped to all goddesses that might listen that his joy was as acute as hers…

With one last thrust of his hips he sent her over the edge, free-falling into a hot, rough sea of pure, electric pleasure, raking through her body, making her writhe underneath him with uncontrollable whimpers and squeaks. She pulled him close with all her might as the force of her orgasm threatened to whisk her away to far, magical places, but she wanted to stay with him… her knees clamped his hips, controlled by pure, primitive delight as wave after wave of her climax coursed through her as he kept thrusting.

She felt him convulse and hug her back as hotness spread inside her, he too reaching his climax with a long, low groan. They both danced their age old, violently convulsing dance, unified, together in their shared moment of an absolute high. None of them thinking, or worrying… just feeling the white-hot joy of the peak of togetherness.

Zelda felt him slow inside of her as the whiteness in her head subsided. She knew he was still riding his high-point and delighted in the whimpering sighs he was making that betrayed his wonderful sensation. She waited for him, holding him close, almost wishing that this moment could last forever…

Slowly his taut muscles relaxed and she felt him nearly collapse on herself as his member wilted inside of her. He rolled off of her, but she held him close, moving with him. He was tired and so was she… the day had brought many excitements… But she didn't want to let go, she couldn't… If it were her choice, she would stay unified for all eternity, here, on this patch of grass in a clearing of some forest, surrounded by fireflies. She felt him hug her, weakly, completely exhausted. She smiled… He was hers and she was his… now more than ever…

There were no words and none were needed… she felt him slowly sink into sleep and she knew she would soon follow. She took just a few more moments to enjoy the heat of his naked body against hers… As her eyes closed she felt completely content and safe in his arms.

The afterglow of their shared, life-changing experience lead them gently to the sweetest slumber… both already half dreaming, their last thoughts were for each other and the newfound intensity of their love.

* * *

 **This is the first time I have ever written something like this and it was surprisingly difficult... I tried my best to make it both erotic and still (slightly) sophisticated... I have no idea if I succeeded...  
I'm not yet sure whether I will write another one... We'll see...  
**


	39. Chapter 38

**Hey!**

 **Sorry about the long wait… I got sick and I kinda still am… I didn't want to write while I was in a foul mood, or I might do something I'd later regret. So, writing went painfully sluggishly. Originally I had more planned for this chapter, but I felt I had to cut it off here before I lose my mind, trying to find creativity when none would come. I hope it isn't too drastic a change in quality. If it is, tell me and I might rewrite it once I'm better, we'll see…**

 **Anyway, have fun!**

Chapter 38

Zelda

Her awakening was slow, gentle and infinitely sweet. Even before consciousness had truly returned she felt him by her side, felt the warmth of his body, his breath on her skin and the matchless comfort they both bestowed. Zelda shifted just a little, exceedingly careful not to wake him from his slumber and to enjoy the few remaining moments of waking up a little while longer.

She dimly remembered briefly stirring from her sleep and finding him gone, somewhere in the middle of the night… but just before her exhausted mind could rise in alarm, she had felt him delicately cover her with a blanket. The last vague memory was a feeling of calm and a satisfied smile on her own face as he had crawled under it himself and had snuggled back up to her.

Slowly, almost regretfully, she opened her eyes and felt herself smile once again. His face was right there, just centimetres away, blissfully asleep. A smooth, warm, wonderfully pleasant symphony of emotions hummed inside her… yesterday night might not have _changed_ anything… but it definitely _amplified_ everything! The memories of their sublime experience, shared in all senses, flooded through her mind, enveloping her in soft, pink clouds of sleepy contentedness.

She felt weightless… she felt happy…

She couldn't really recall when last she had felt just… serene like this. Maybe never quite like now… It wasn't that mindless state of ignorant elation that was so often craved by people who had no real hardship in their lives anyway… no… It was the incomparably more powerful joy that existed despite their looming fate… persisted through all adversity, stronger, more meaningful, making all problems feel small… She knew it couldn't last forever, but it didn't have to… the simple knowledge that there was something, something so close, that could make her feel so perfectly, blissfully happy was enough.

She wanted him to open his eyes, couldn't wait for him to look at her… maybe show her that lovestruck expression again that had sent electrifying shivers through her entire being… He was lying so close, their knees were touching just barely… His mouth was open just a tiny bit, those sensual lips that had explored her body only hours ago looking so ready for her own… weirdly, she also noticed his eyelashes, curved and long… thousands of girls would probably kill for a chance that theirs could look like that… they too gave his handsome face this cute, noble appeal that had made her weak from the start… although he probably would object to 'noble', she added in her thoughts.

Zelda couldn't resist. Leaning forward just a bit, she allowed her own lips to touch his, tantalizingly gently, merely the barest brush. Another tiny kiss for his nose… one more for his cheek… she still didn't want to wake him, but… she also felt like she might burst from overpowering affection if she didn't shower him with it right now. She loved the soft feel of his skin against her lips as she did another round over his beautiful face… tenderly, still just the lightest contact, despite her wanting more. She stopped her barrage for a moment, resting her forehead against his, nose against nose… just touching him was… inexpressible… not just in a sexual way, although she had to admit that, well, that had gained quite a lot in importance since last night… no, but also just being this close… naked under a blanket… all barriers shed… alive, hylian, womanly, safe, wanted… loved… they were only a fraction of the emotions that caressed her mind and made her tummy feel bubbly. The urge to wake him with an endless shower of kisses was nearly imperative… for a third time she let her lips touch his, hovering there, debating whether she should go in for it, let him wake up in such a sensual way…

Link's breath was calm… he must still be fast asleep. No wonder, she thought… Not only had he had his almost deadly battle against this abomination, this corrupted un-life, but then had exerted so much energy being near crazed with concern for her… and, last but certainly not least, he had carried her to a hitherto undiscovered plane of delight. He had every right to be exhausted.

Zelda felt something brush against her thigh… leaving his lips, she looked down and couldn't suppress an impish grin. 'Now look what you have done!' she chided herself playfully. Even in the gloom under the blanket she could clearly see what had just woken up. Maybe he wasn't quite as deeply asleep as she had thought? A part of him certainly wasn't…

At least a dozen ideas sprang forth in her head as she gazed upon him, each more naughty than the last, all mouth-wateringly alluring. Should she…? Was that not too much? This was all so very new, to both of them… she simply couldn't say, whether he would be startled or… intrigued…

'Let him sleep…' her rational voice told her softly. 'There will be time for all of it…'

How can we know that? How can we possibly know that there will ever be a time like this again?

'…If there isn't, we'll just have to make the time…'

Still grinning, she looked back from down there to his angelic face. 'How quickly my thoughts can turn from innocent to… decidedly not…' she thought, stifling a giggle. But it was for the best… slowly the sleepiness faded and as her senses returned fully, she noticed that she felt rather… sticky… in places… Thankfully the little creek was just next to their sleeping place…

Reluctantly and careful not to disturb him, she peeled herself out from under the blanket and its comforting warmth. The morning was cool or her naked skin. Reflexively she covered herself with her hands from… from what actually? The horses? Grass?

Zelda briefly looked around, trying to remember where she had placed their stuff. She grinned amusedly and shook her head slightly. No fire, no dinner, their saddlebags in a pile… they hadn't even fed the horses in all their excitement! Thankfully they were in a clearing with lots of grass for them to feed on… it would have been most unfortunate, had they been interrupted again by their equine chaperones. Link probably would have carved them into provisions… and frankly, she might have helped him…

She silently walked over to her bag, shivering slightly as the cold morning dew on the field flowers brushed against her legs. She wanted her soap… and the other thing. Lady's Blood… what a cynical name… probably a man had been sniggeringly proud of his naming of the plant. It hadn't been hard to procure… It's blossom was indeed a beautiful red, which made it popular as a decorative plant… though most likely many women kept it more for the reason Zelda had brought it with her…

A brief search later she had the thin metal box in her hands. Inside were 16 tight bundles of rolled up, sticky leaves, the size of a candy. She picked one, and tentatively smelled it on her way back to the stream. The stickiness apparently stemmed from honey, though whether that was to preserve it or to aid the taste she wasn't sure. She sat down by the rivulet, letting her feet dangle into the water and, after a second of hesitation, put it into her mouth and started chewing.

…definitely for the taste, she thought, scrunching up her face involuntarily. It was mostly just bitter, but quite potently so. She cupped her hand and scooped a mouthful of water to allow her to swallow without retching. The honey's sweetness was quite powerless there… maybe you weren't supposed to chew it but swallow it right away? Shouldn't make too much of a difference…

'Well…' she thought to herself. 'That was decidedly not the most pleasant part of this whole new adventure… but still very much worth it!' She couldn't think of a less opportune time to get pregnant than in the middle of an endeavour such as theirs… not to mention that she absolutely felt too young to go down that path… So, there was really no alternative, if you excluded just… not doing it. So Lady's Blood was actually quite the blessing. And a little bit of bitterness was a little price to pay for… well… being able to experience yesterday's incomparable enjoyment again without needing to worry.

…at least it left no aftertaste…

* * *

Zelda had just finished cleaning herself, which, given the icy cold of the little stream and the body parts involved, had been uncomfortably refreshing. It was still early, eight in the morning at most. She was sitting at the water, letting her feet be washed around by the crystal clear water, enjoying the warming rays of the sun on her face. Link had been stirring right behind her for about a minute… She suspected he was watching her… She had put on some clothes to, well, at least show some semblance of decency… and by some, she meant panties and bra and nothing more. She certainly didn't want to be too decent, now did she? You have to keep things interesting…

She heard him stand up, walk the two steps towards her, slowly and a little uncertain… then, when she didn't react, she felt his gentle hand on her shoulder and felt him sit down right behind her so she was trapped between his legs. His arms snaked under hers, met right below her chest so he could hug her close. She felt the naked skin of his arms on her belly and of his chest on her back… the feeling was still electrifying, his touch had lost none of its fascinating, exciting quality, despite her having tasted it maximally yesterday. That relieved her… and pleased her to no end. She felt his hot breath on her ear, then a tender kiss behind it, another one on her neck, a third one on her shoulder. Those delightful goosebumps returned, together with a slightly fluttery shiver and an involuntary intake of air… goddess, she hoped she never got used to this… hoped that it would always feel that way, that he would always feel that way… she wished he would never stop…

"Good morning, Zelda…" he whispered, his voice both calm and vibrating with so many emotions… the same ones she felt upon hearing it, she hoped… no… by now, she didn't really need to hope any longer… more and more, certainty was taking hope's place…

"Good morning, Link…" she breathed back, lightly brushing her head against his, slightly regretful that, in this position, she couldn't kiss him back. Instead she leaned back into his embrace, allowing him to support both their weight. "How was your sleep?"

"Wonderful…" he whispered.

"Mine too…" she replied, smiling softly. It really had been… dreamless, deep, peaceful… she had awoken early, completely refreshed, despite the considerable exertions of the last day.

They were quiet for a while, barely moving, just enjoying the sun, the light gurgling of the water and, most of all, each other. She sensed that something burned on his mind… She suspected that he, too, had no idea what to say, though. What do you say? How do you say it? Do you just go on as if nothing happened? That somehow felt wrong… Do you talk about it? That… might be fun… but also severely awkward…

"How are you feeling today?" he tentatively asked.

"Very good… and you?"

He hummed affirmatively. "Me too…"

Then they were silent again… 'Goddess above!' she thought, not without amusement. 'It already is awkward!'

They were back to their quiet, odd status quo of not wanting to move on yet, but unsure of how to go about talking about this. To Zelda it was like wanting confirmation that this particular chapter of their togetherness had indeed been concluded as pleasantly, as wonderfully as she had experienced, so they could begin writing the next enthralling part of their story.

Maybe this time she had to say the first thing, show him that she most likely felt the same way… "It's peculiar, isn't it? How something as… marvellous as yesterday night can make some things more awkward…" she spoke, a little warily.

He gave a single, heartfelt laugh, which almost sounded more like a relieved exhalation of tensely held air. "You have hit the nail on the head…" he answered, which alleviated her worries that she might have misjudged the situation. "Still… with you even being awkward is _lovely_ …"

She snorted and giggled, feeling herself blush ever so slightly. The way he had said it was joking, but she could still tell that he meant it, behind the façade. "Well… that was just a tiny bit corny…" she teased smiling impishly over her shoulder at him.

"True." he replied and kissed her cheek. "But maybe I just feel like being corny today…"

Link proceeded to kiss the back of her ear, humming in obvious satisfaction. His hands, previously resting against her hips now moved to grab them ever so gently. Harmless gestures still, but the message was quite clear to Zelda… he wanted her… she felt his desire burning on her skin where his lips touched her… sensing that, her own wants reared up again… it wasn't like they had ever been gone anyway… barely dozing if anything… Din's fire, the raging inferno of wriggling pleasure beckoned terribly strongly at each of his touches…

She was torn… on one hand she already felt herself melt into his strong hands, couldn't wait for the next time his hands, his mouth, all of his skin flowed over hers… what little resistance she had was fading dangerously quickly… on the other hand…

"Link, I…" she sighed, almost involuntarily… the sensible part of her mind had made a decision that all the rest of her body and soul raged against. "I'm… a bit sore…" she whispered with a tiny voice. It wasn't a feeble excuse, she really was… a tiny bit of dried blood had come off during her wash and, well, she felt rather… abraded inside.

She felt a jolt run through him and he immediately released her from his embrace. She lifted her legs out of the water so she could turn herself around until she sat slightly sideways, her right leg brushing against his side. Even before she saw his face she had sensed the horror in him and the expression he was making now made her wish she hadn't said anything. His eyes were wide, terrified… she could almost see the myriad of thoughts that forced him into this shocked speechlessness. Dear Nayru's wisdom, why did I say that?!

"Link, no! It's fine, really, it… was to be expected…" she stammered, unsure what to say to stop him from blaming himself for essentially nothing.

"Does it hurt?" he asked, his voice slightly jittery. Heavens above he looked so miserable! She reached for his head with both hands, grabbed him so her thumbs were on his cheekbones and pulled him closer ever so slightly.

"Listen, you! It doesn't hurt, not really… I didn't even feel it yesterday while we…" she trailed off, feeling her cheeks grow warm. He swallowed heavily. His gorgeous eyes had lost their utterly mortified look, but she still saw the doubt in them. "It's just… you know… the first time…" she finished a bit weakly.

He kept quiet for a few seconds, gazing into her, probably desperately trying to convince himself that she was telling the truth. "I… I hoped that it would just be… short… damn it all, I'm such an idiot…" he growled at himself and smacked his hand in front of his eyes.

Goddess, she wanted to shake some sense into him! "Stop that right now!" she said in a stricter tone. "There is no need for drama! It's like picking your nose too much until you bleed, it's nothing! I'll not have you blame yourself for this tiny insignificance, do you hear me, sir knight?"

He lowered his hand until he could look at her over it… it looked like he was hiding his face, like a child, ashamed that it had been naughty. 'Farore's mercy, you can be adorable, you dolt…' she thought, and the sternness in her voice withered away as quickly as it had appeared. "Besides… the only alternative would have been, well… not to… and that would have been a shame…" she mumbled, unable to keep a slightly mischievous look from her features.

He was silent again, but only for a few seconds. She could sense that he was having an internal battle, fighting for courage to say something that was stirring in his mind. "So… you… liked it? Despite…" he asked cautiously.

Zelda nearly broke out in giggles at his cuteness, but held herself back… his high, almost pleading voice told her just how unsure he was… like a worried child, hesitantly hoping for praise that it had done something right… or at least not caused damage… She could feel how tense his muscles had become all of a sudden. All his defences were down, his heart completely open to her, taking the nerve-splitting risk of potentially hearing something that might severely hurt his spirit. Laughing now would be catastrophic; even the possibility of Link understanding it as her laughing _at_ him, now, in this moment, was just too dreadful to bear thinking about.

But what to answer? Truthfully, of course… but how? …honestly, even if she hadn't liked it much, she would probably still want to do it again, if only to see those delightful reactions on his face again, to feel the electricity course through his body again at her every move… to see him look at her like that again… But she had liked it… a lot…

"I did…" she simply said in the end, softly, smilingly. She heard him swallow heavily and exhale… only now did she notice the slight nervous tremble in his arms.

"Were you so unsure?" she genuinely wanted to know, a little surprised. He had seemed so firm yesterday… had known what to do so well…

"I… fear that I was so… preoccupied with myself… that I now feel that I was only mindful of my own desires… at least at the end, when we… and then I fell asleep immediately without making sure… I'm sorry if I did something wrong…"

It all bubbled out from him now, seeming like a dozen thoughts at once, the only connection between them that they were all about her… He looked almost frightened… as if he truly believed that he might have done something bad. This infinitely brave boy who she knew would face an entire army of monsters to see her safe… now she saw him so intimidated by his unfounded self-doubt… which only stemmed from the perceived possibility of him having caused her discomfort… Dummy!

She smiled in what she hoped was a reassuring way and moved her hands so she cupped his cheeks fully. "I… didn't feel it like that at all… I felt… like a part of you…" It came closest to what she wanted to express, but, frankly, lacked the words to. "Besides…" she added and immediately felt herself blush furiously. "I rather liked you… like that…" Goddess, he forced her to say stuff like that! …She didn't really mind it, but… it was still a bit embarrassing.

Seeing his reaction was definitely worth it, though. His whole adorable face was instantly lit in flaming red. She so wanted to kiss him again, but, quite frankly, didn't fully trust herself that she wouldn't overthrow her resolve and give in to her desire after all… that would make her seem like a complete fool, undoubtedly.

"I take it you enjoyed yourself as well?" she asked, smirking as she removed her hands from his face. It was, of course, a way of teasing him, which she loved doing… but beneath that, she too wanted to make sure that he would have only pleasant memories of their first time together. Though the dolt would probably never admit it, if she had done anything that he hadn't been particularly fond of…

He snorted a quick, still slightly tense chuckle and eyed her curiously. "Couldn't you tell?" If anything, his crimson skin turned an ever deeper red.

"There were a few hints here and there…" she replied playfully… It was weird… they both were back at this nervous, constantly blushing state of thrilling uncertainty… hesitant to speak for fear of seeming like an utter idiot… but despite that it was just as fun as it had ever been.

Finally a genuine smile crept tentatively back onto his face. "I… it really, truly was the most indescribably magical moment in my life…" he mumbled, looking down, clearly quite a bit ashamed to openly admitting that. But apparently he felt an even stronger urge to share this with her… share his feelings, no matter how much they embarrassed him. Without another moment of hesitation Zelda leaned close and kissed him, long and tenderly. He had no reason to be abashed… He had said exactly what she had secretly hoped he would say. She herself had been a tiny bit afraid… afraid that, to him, last night might not carry the same existential weight as it did for her… But now, more than ever, she sensed the thundering maelstrom of emotions in him, that showed her just how deep his feelings ran, causing that almost frightened tremble in his body. It was as if, just for one precious moment, the final barrier between them had been shattered, which gave both of them a tantalizing glimpse of the infinitely deep sea of emotions underneath.

Zelda felt both like laughing and crying… all her life she had yearned for something, something she hadn't been able to describe… It had been like longing for something that you didn't even know was missing. And now, for the first time in her life, she felt like she could stop searching… she felt whole. His hands locked her back into a careful embrace, and she followed suit. One single, involuntary sob escaped her… she couldn't have held it back, even if she had wanted to. The deep, pure happiness that bubbled inside of her, that feeling that was still so deliciously new to her, made her both giddily joyful and teary-eyed.

Without looking, lips still locked together, she felt Link's left hand gently caress her cheek, wiping away the hot tear that had snuck out from her eye. An uncontrollable giggle waved through her body… he understood… he understood so incredibly well… maybe she would find a similar drop betraying his feelings on his cheek, but she didn't need to find it to know. She sensed in him the same overpowering emotions that had led her to assault his sleeping being with kiss after kiss… this wild affection that seemed to pulse through body and soul with every heartbeat, both strong as a raging river and tender as a warm breeze. Zelda realized with a pleasant shiver that this new door they had opened on the way of their relationship did in no way signify a goal… in a way, the road had only now begun, with an unending spectrum of wonders to explore and cherish.

Hesitantly she separated her lips from his. Eyes still closed, she felt him shower her with tiny caresses, for her nose, her brow, her cheek… gently, loving, never-ending… 'Seems familiar…' she thought smilingly to herself, basking in his attention.

Her heart made her say something… something that, she felt, summarized both past and, hopefully, future. "The most indescribably magical moment… yet…"

* * *

It hadn't been easy resisting temptation… If it had only been half as hard for him as it was for her, she pitied him. But they had stopped and, clumsily, distractedly, had gotten ready to continue their travelling… after catching the horses that they, in their heat, had forgotten to leash.

Riding was… not the most comfortable motion after yesterday's adventures. But she would be damned before she voiced any discomfort to him… The risk of him needlessly worrying again was far too great… and she didn't want him to feel like he was to blame for it. If he were constantly troubled about every little twinge, it might grievously hamper his eagerness for their next… romp. And she definitely couldn't bloody have that!

Still, she was glad that they had unanimously agreed on taking this day a bit slower. Not only had their panic induced flight yesterday awarded them significant muscle-aches, but also a surprising amount of distance. If Link's orientation was correct, and she believed it was, they had easily doubled their usual target kilometres, fuelled solely by near insane fear. So, the decision to use the day more recreationally was an easy one to make.

"We should, however, decide on one thing…" he muttered as he concentrated on both the map and keeping Janna from straying.

"Which is?" she asked, curious.

He thought for a few seconds, probably double and triple-checking that he wasn't making a mistake. "If we change direction to north northwest, we would encounter the North Road tomorrow evening. From there, it should only be a stone's throw away from Valewyn…" he pondered aloud.

"I passed through Valewyn, though we only stopped for the night and were off the first thing in the morning. I thought it looked pretty…" she mused.

"I should think so…" he grumbled. "Pretty much all traders have to pass through it on their way north or back to Hyrule due to the hills…"

Zelda knew he had to be right. The range of hills known as the Ochre Belt was the geographic northern border of the heartlands. Few of the valleys cutting through it were easily negotiable, especially with carts or wagons. So, naturally, the clever settlers of Valewyn, the town in the centre of the smoothest pass far and wide had established a profitable business by providing accommodation and food for all who passed through.

Going there was the obvious way forward… but he had mentioned a decision that was to be made. "What is the alternative?" she asked.

"Should we chose to circumnavigate Valewyn entirely, we would have to pass through here. Look." He leaned over and pointed to a tiny path which started to the northeast and snaked around the hills. "Either way, it would be best if we decided soon, so we can take the most efficient way there."

"Right…" she mumbled and thought it through. She felt his gaze on her as she silently pondered, patient but eager for her opinion. She liked how he did this… were he alone, he probably would have already made up his mind… but despite him clearly being more proficient in navigation, he wanted to hear her speak her mind before he presented his own. …It did, however, also put some pressure on her, as she didn't want to say something stupid… something she didn't completely trust herself on…

"Here are my thoughts. Going to Valewyn would obviously give us the opportunity to restock on food… we are running a bit low, aren't we?" she interrupted her own flow.

He nodded while making a slightly pained face. "Not terribly so, but yes. With what we have now, we should be able to comfortably pass through the Belt, but no further. If I can hunt something, or we find enough on the way, we can extend our supplies. Should something go wrong, though, and we are slowed in our trek, we might have to ration them…" he explained.

"Hm, I do not particularly like the sound of that…" she said, making a face.

"I thought you might not…" he replied with a smirk. "You eat too much. I planned for me and a girl. Not for me and a Lynel!"

Her mouth swung open at that monstrous impudence. He was lucky that the mischievous sparkle in his eyes was so adorable. Still… a challenge was uttered! "Well… you hinted at it yourself… if only you had any worth at hunting, my healthy appetite would be of no trouble, now would it?" she answered in the sweetest voice possible.

He raised his eyebrow and smiled in delight at her answer… his own wasn't far off. "To be honest, I'm at my wit's end… hunting for anything smaller than a whole boar for you would simply be a waste of time… you'd eat it in one, gluttonous gulp and leave nothing for me!"

"The princess before her subjects! I thought you would have learned by now…" she pronounced with magnificently conceited countenance, looking stiffly ahead. "Besides…" she looked back at his amused face. "After your clumsy little tumble with that odd sow yesterday, I have quite lost my appetite for pork…"

…damn her and her mouth that was sometimes too quick for her own good… that might have been a bit too much… or a lot… she hoped that her rather careless words didn't spoil the mood for him. His grin wavered just a bit… but it recovered quickly, thank the goddess.

"Wow… that was quite something…" he chuckled, shaking his head in surprise. Zelda tucked her lips between her teeth and made herself small, trying to show that she wasn't entirely pleased with how that had come out.

"Remember when, back in Hyrule, I said that I might try to 'pull you down to whatever pit I call home'? Should I begin to think that on our way down into depravity you mean to overtake me instead?" he asked her, all sugary sweetness and, possibly, slightly proud.

She looked back at him, equally cherubic, gently patting his hand on the map. "Aw… would your manliness be in danger should I turn out the victor of our little battle of wickedness?" she cooed, as if soothing a child.

His deep blue eyes gazed into hers for a moment, smiling lovingly, before he tenderly lifted her hand to his lips. "Is there any part of my manliness which I haven't already willingly given up to you?" he purred and kissed her fingers ever so delicately.

Zelda felt her heart melt despite herself… and despite the double entendre. She so didn't want to blush at that ridiculously bromidic line, but… damn, he was a master of putting just enough sincerity in nonsense such as this, that it somehow worked. Or… maybe she was just a love-struck fool…

"Let us focus again, you sausage knight, you…" she grumbled, knowing that this pitiful effort of distracting from her speechlessness wouldn't fool anybody. Of course he grinned with glee… let him have this victory… her revenge would be swift and terrible!

"Please! Go ahead with your thoughts, then, dumpling!" he suggested.

As if she could form a coherent sentence now, after that ludicrous statement of his that still made her feel as if she were made of butterflies.

"Right… well, we've discussed food… so… the village is obviously the shorter route. But it is also the obvious one…" she mumbled slowly, trying to restart her brain. "If we assume that our enemy is actively looking for us, they might lie in waiting in strategic locations such as the only secured pass through the Ochre Belt. So it would be a risk."

"True. Two things however: One, unless we are extremely unlucky, the agents of the Threat have no idea to which of the three places we are headed. Two, Valewyn is very busy, so I think it's rather likely that we could simply go unnoticed." Link laid out.

"Besides… we have already more than enough proof that even the heartlands proper are no longer truly safe from monsters." Zelda added thoughtfully. "Considering this, a nearly unused path through the hills, cut off from everything, feels like quite the hazard as well."

"Good point." He said, nodding appreciatively. "Judging by your argumentation, I guess you have made up your mind."

It was her time to nod. "I would risk the village. As long as we are careful, we should be fine… we can't keep away from civilization forever anyway." she reasoned. There was a certain longing in her voice, which she hoped he didn't notice… She enjoyed travelling with him, just him, she really did, but… She loved the hubbub of towns and cities, the impressions, the smells, the noise… they had always been far for her, unreachable from her golden cage… She had had a taste of it when Link had led her through the city of Hyrule and it had been truly wonderful. The idea of visiting villages like this, completely incognito, was extremely enticing. For all her power as princess, strolling on a busy street, watching people's faces as they didn't gaze at you deferentially, moving freely to wherever her feet carried her, browsing stalls that proffered wondrous goods from all over the world… they had all been outright impossibilities. Now, as just some girl, it was all open to her…

"I agree…" he said at last, with a soft, slightly knowing expression. "We will, at the last stage of our trip, be travelling far off from any settlement. We will have to get used to that… but for now, we should enjoy civilization as long as we can."

"Then we are in accord." Zelda pronounced grandly, as if she were inaugurating an opera-house. Link snorted and giggled… apparently he hadn't expected that, she thought gleefully.

After they had made their course correction they were silent for a while. An idea, or rather, a troubling thought had formed in Zelda's mind days ago… She hadn't really paid it much attention, but it had persisted, instead of being forgotten.

"Link?" she asked after a long while of debating back and forth with herself whether she should bother him with it.

"Hmm?" he hummed, smiling at her softly. Goddess, she could look at that face all day… and night…

"I… have a… thought that keeps bothering me. I would like your opinion…"

"I will gladly give it! Go ahead, dumpling!" he answered sincerely.

"We... we assume, based on what little we have found out and on what Impa told us, that the Threat's resurgence is… an unstoppable, cyclical event…" she began, ponderous.

"Go on…"

"So… whatever the Threat is, we surmise that the breaking of its chains is imminent… that we are running against the clock to stop it…"

"True, that is what needs to be feared… It emerging soon and wreaking havoc if it isn't stopped… by us…" he affirmed, curiosity in his voice.

"Well…" she thought very carefully on what she was about to say next. "If it is only a matter of time… why attack? Why have the agents of the Threat decided to go out into the open to launch an assault that might drive us to action? Why did they not wait, keep secret that anything at all was happening, until their master has been freed?" She swallowed. "Why involve us while they are still vulnerable?"

He was silent for a long time, his face concentrated and troubled. "This is something I haven't considered up until now…" he admitted slowly. He chewed on his lip, thinking. "For one, a familiar answer that is as vague as it is unsatisfactory: We know too little. There might be a reason that we, ignorant as we are, simply cannot fathom. They might have gotten worried about what Impa has told us, but…"

"…but I was attacked before that…" she finished for him.

"Exactly…" he nodded, but then looked into infinity, scowling, and shook his head. "I do not know, Zelda, I'm sorry. But I will think on it…"

"Hmm…" she hummed thankfully, giving him a little smile.

Neither of them could think of a reason in the following hours… and they were troubled by it.


	40. Chapter 39

**Work has started fully for me now. Lots of long workdays and 25 hour shifts ahead, yay! My productivity might (will) drop for a while, I expect, until I get used to it. Rest assured, though, I will not stop writing this. Spontaneous combustions or similar self-destructive phenomena will not be necessary.  
**

 **Have fun!**

Chapter 39

Link

It's funny how quickly one gets used to some things… and, conversely, how short a time it takes for something usual or familiar to feel completely off. Zelda and he were trotting on the road... and it felt _weird_! There were _people_ around! The subtle sounds of the forest that they had gotten used to were now overshadowed by hoofbeats and the sound of wagons cluttering along… and voices! How utterly bizarre!

Valewyn was close now… either they had made really good time somehow, or they had, during their mad flight, drifted inadvertently to the west. It didn't really matter… Link had expected them to arrive at the village after sunset, but as it looked now, they would reach it with about 2 hours of daylight remaining.

He looked sideways at his companion, her eyes already darting from person to person, trading cart to trading cart, eager to catch every little detail. The joyous little smile that played around her lips captivated him, made him daydream… He recalled last night… goddess, it had been so hair-raisingly awkward! He stifled a giggle and shook his head almost unnoticeably. Their intimate night seemed to have made everything a tad more complicated… incredibly delightfully so, but still… Whenever he looked at her for too long, his mind unerringly began to think rather… salaciously. He wanted her… Din's inferno, did he ever… and those unmistakable looks she shot him whenever she caught him looking did NOT help… Bloody hell, he felt like a lecherous dog sometimes… But, of course, he would wait. She had ridden as marvellously gracefully as ever, but… he had caught her wincing once or twice, when Celeste had had to take a rougher step. 'I'm a bit sore'… Simple, harmless words, but they still burned deep in his bones. Especially the way she had said them, almost as if _she_ was sorry that she had to say it… He knew it was dumb to think himself blamable for her discomfort. She had been rather adamant about that and he did believe her, but… emotionally he felt like a selfish prick.

So, he had been caught between sharp, hot bouts of lustfulness and cold, wilting lows of self-reproach, which he knew were stupid. So, in short, he had wondered not if, but when he would go insane.

When they were making their camp for the night, both of them had been marginally coordinated, glance throwing, awkwardly blushing messes. After Zelda had, distractedly, handed him a turnip that was clearly meant for the horses, and they both realized that Celeste and Janna were rather confusedly nosing hard cheese and sausage, they could finally laugh at the silliness of it all. And it had been the most liberating giggling fit imaginable. He thanked the goddesses for it… he had been about to suggest sleeping on his own mat again, just to avoid any… confrontation. But, with tension mostly released via the divine medium of laughter, they had gladly decided that falling asleep in each others arms was still possible, despite the relentless jig their brains were staging.

Today it was better, thankfully. Watching her angelic grace still quickened the blood in his veins, but he could far better distance himself from any sexual wants. He would like to think that his mental fortitude was getting stronger, but… he suspected taking matters into his own hands behind the bushes this morning while she was still dozing was the real reason for the… release of this particular burden. And while he did feel a tad ashamed of himself, he still preferred a clear head over obscene drooling.

"More are going south than north…" he heard her say, pulling him back into reality. "Sorry?" he answered dumbly. 'Appears I'm drooling nonetheless…' he thought to himself.

"More people are going towards the capital than the other way round… noticeably so…" she clarified, glancing at him with a smirk that told him she knew exactly what he had been looking at… and how long.

Get yourself together, you buffoon! "Well… could just be the time of day, but… I'd say word has gotten around that the army is assembled at Hyrule. A lot of money can be made where tens of thousands of bored men and women congregate…" he mused.

"Hmm… good point. Though that doesn't explain why I saw many women riding on the traders' carts..." she added thoughtfully.

Oh… Oh dear… "Erm… you see…" he began stammering, but was thankfully interrupted.

"MAKE WAY!" an enormous bellow came from behind. Link barely had time to manoeuvre himself out of the path before a rider with the white and blue uniform of a messenger of the royal army thundered past them towards Valewyn, both she and her horse panting heavily.

Zelda and he exchanged questioning looks as around them the hubbub of hoof, wheel and low complaining began anew. "Good news rarely travels this fast…" Link said, setting his jaw. She nodded and bit her lip pensively. "I wonder what could have happened…"

"So do I… but standing around, pondering, won't bring us closer to an answer." he pointed out.

"Agreed. Let's go! I would like to explore the town a bit before we lose the light!" she said, her enthusiasm recovered.

Link nodded and smiled at her, even though she had already turned back towards the city. He knew that roaming the markets and streets of villages and cities bore a number of risks… not only was there the enigmatic evil they were combating, but also more mundane troubles like pickpockets, robbers, drunkards… and girls as astoundingly pretty as she was would always get a second look, especially from elements whose attention could become something to fear.

That said, he would be damned before he stood in Zelda's way, if she wished to delve into the life of her people. He knew how much she wanted to know them, how much she cared. He keenly remembered the enchanted, rapturous look on her stunning face when he had 'abducted' her out of the castle walls for the first time. The memory still filled his chest with warm feelings of accomplishment and delight. If their mission placed only half as much hardship on them as he feared, he would rather watch doubly and triply as careful to ensure her a few moments of genuine joy, instead of attempting to keep her locked up in illusory safety. She had had to suffer through quite enough of that already. And if he could not keep her from harm without stifling her with restrictions, he wasn't better than her father. Link loved to see her happy… so he would do everything in his power to give her the happiness she deserved. And in his book, she deserved it all.

* * *

Chaos… that's what the entrance to Valewyn was. A mash of dozens of carts, carriages and horses, each convinced that their right of way was a matter of course, squeezing through the a far too narrow gate, spiced with a creative bouquet of colourful curses. The guards at the gate had their hands full trying to keep everybody from going on a murderous rampage when someone cut in front of them, bumped into them, or just generally breathed in their general direction.

Link felt right at home. Them being just on foot leading their horses, and so, easily manoeuvrable, nobody paid any attention to them and they were free to watch and listen to furious traders promise all kinds of hell to each other… as long as they didn't get in the way…

"YOU THERE! Get your fucking nag outta the fucking way, you blonde bimbo, or you'll feel my whip! MOVE!" a hoarse voice bellowed fearsomely. Link's head whipped around and saw a short, fat man with an impressively red pate nearly jump up and down furiously on the coachbox. Zelda, who had been the target of the assault, had apparently slowed to dangerous levels in her fascination of the rowdy hubbub. Unfortunately, the coach-driver's outburst had had an adverse effect; now she had stopped completely and ogled the wildly gesticulating man wide eyed and open mouthed.

A guard was approaching to try and control the situation. "You are blocking traffic, girl!" the sweating man shouted at her. "Stop bloody staring and get a move on! Or, so Din help me, I'll arrest you for interfering with Valewyn's trade! MOVE!" he yelled, grabbed her shoulder and shoved her into the right direction.

Link was there in an instant, just in case. "Sorry about that, sir. We'll be off!" he growled, shooting the man a steely look, before taking Celeste's reins as well. He led the four of them through the palisade, then guided them out of the constant flow of near mad travellers. He looked at Zelda, who had an odd expression that he couldn't quite identify… befuddled, yes, but there was more…

"Err… everything alright, dumpling? Don't take it to heart or anything, it's just…" he began, but her head swivelled around and she looked at him puzzled but grinning widely.

"Are you kidding me? I love it!" she exclaimed, eyes sparkling. "This is the first time anybody has ever spoken to me like this! Neither had any idea who I am!"

Link snorted. "I wished I could be as excited when someone called me blonde bimbo…" he chuckled.

"You don't understand!" she whispered joyfully and extended her arms in a grand gesture. "I am incognito… I am free!" Her felicity was catching… he noticed a tiny joyous tear in her eye as she grinned at him so free of any care… he felt his heart melt for her, both because of her irresistible cuteness, and because of what getting violently cursed at being something to celebrate implied about her life thus far. Link stepped forward, wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in for a long, passionate kiss. He felt her initial surprise, then her arms folding behind his neck to pull him even closer. He couldn't even express how glad he was to see her like this, that she was here so he could show her what little he knew… that she simply was here, with him.

"That was sudden…" she gasped with a smirk when they had let go of each other.

"Sorry…" he mumbled, a tiny bit embarrassed at his show of sloshing emotionality. "I just felt like doing it…"

"I hope you feel like that more often…" she replied, smiling impishly, driving him out of his mind. "Now, let's go! I want to gooo!" she sang, pulling on his arm. Farore's mercy…if she doesn't stop being so ravishing…

"Easy!" he laughed. "First let us find an inn so we can stable the horses and stow our luggage. Agreed?"

Now she looked a bit sheepish about her unthinking enthusiasm… that's certainly not what he had wanted. "And then…" he continued, having one of his utterly brilliant ideas."…then you will buy our supplies!"

Her eyes lit up again, both in excitement and slight tension. "Me?" she asked, with just a hint of nervousness.

Hah! Perfect! "Of course you, my adorable little dumpling! You're going to find an appropriate stall in the milling crowd, decide what you want, haggle with the proprietor and pay. And I will watch and snigger at you from the side! Would that be to the lady's liking?" he questioned, flashing her one of his playful grins.

The smile that erupted on her face was as warming as the rays of the summer sun. She crashed into him in a quick, almost violent hug and placed a boisterous kiss on him that burned deliciously on his lips. "Perfect!" she squeaked and ran off, dragging him by his hand.

* * *

Finding a decent inn with a stable wasn't difficult. Finding one that wasn't laughably expensive was! Link wasn't about to pay 25 rupees or something preposterous like that for a chamber with a bed for one night! Thankfully, the places a little off the main avenue were a lot more reasonably priced. Though booking had inadvertently lead to a rather precious moment when the rotund lady behind the counter had asked him, whether he and 'the lady' wanted one room or two. He had looked rather helplessly at Zelda, feeling like a complete idiot for not thinking of this rather important question sooner. "One room is fine…" she had finally said squeakily, her whole face turning a deep, magnificent crimson. He understood her… he himself was pretty sure that steam might be coming out of his ears when he saw the mildly amused shrug of the receptionist.

Their key in hand, they had just dumped their bags in the tiny room and had immediately entered the busy streets again, ready for an interesting evening.

Link had to admit: Valewyn was very pretty. The light, marble-like stone used for the sidewalk gleamed in the sun where the bright green leaves of chestnut trees didn't provide shade. The houses along the main road were of whitewashed stone on the ground floor, then fair wood for the first and often second floors, richly adorned by handsome carvings. A little stream gurgled along the western side of the road, captured and redirected in a smooth, round stone ditch. Along both sides of the road, the houses that no longer fit into the narrow flat part of the valley climbed the hillsides, connected by steep, criss-crossing ways and stairs.

"I have to say… I really like how this place looks. Especially those homes that appear to be just barely clinging onto the hills." he mused aloud as they were walking towards the market.

Zelda nodded enthusiastically. "Oh, absolutely! They must have such a stunning view over the whole town! Ooh! Look!" she exclaimed and pointed at a little stall at the side of the road. 'Fresh Apple Juice!' it said on the handwritten sign in gay colours. She had already swerved towards it before he could say anything, so he just followed, grinning slightly to himself. This could be interesting!

As per tradition, the proprietor was an old, wrinkly lady that practically radiated trustworthiness. Always a sign that caution was advisable. And as soon as the crone spots Zelda there'll be… There it is! That wonderfully kind, innocent, toothless grin that allayed all your suspicions. Let's see how cautious the dumpling is!

"Hello, dearie!" grandma greeted her with a voice at least as wrinkly as her face. Link had to suppress a grin… she really had mastered her role. The slow, deliberate way she moved, the convincing wince as she stood up from the hard stool she had sat on, the slight tremble of her hands, which made an open, inviting gesture. And, of course, the almost comically perfect 'old-lady-voice' which was meant to say 'I'm old and weak, every little bit helps'. Great theatre!

"Greetings, my good woman!" Zelda said sweetly, but a little stiffly nonetheless. She subconsciously spoke to her like a lady to someone of lower standing… which wasn't surprising, since she had probably a very rudimentary idea of how common people spoke to each other. The unnerving, gummy grin twitched just a tiny bit and the old baggage immediately switched gears.

"No need to be so formal, young lady. Everyone just calls me Millie." She said, the pinnacle of kindness. 'Millie'?! Really? Now she was overdoing it with the act… He had a hard time keeping his giggling in.

"Nice to meet you, Millie!" Zelda greeted her with a radiant smile while he hovered to the side, watchful and almost bursting.

"Would you like some apple juice, love? It's fresh from the orchards around Ord village, the finest apples in all of Hyrule. 6 rupees, 8 if you want it in a cooled cup." the crone crinkled gently.

Link nearly had a coughing fit at the outrageous price. Zelda turned towards him briefly and shot him an excited smile before turning back. "Ah, your home! That's great!" she beamed. Watching the old woman's face almost crack at hearing that an Ordian was present was pure delight. Her eyes became just a hint wider when she looked at him, his arms crossed in the completely relaxed way that unmistakably said 'I can un-relax myself in an instant.'

"That is great…" he said softly, with a mild grin for the woman. "And even before harvest season! Phenomenal!"

The crone rallied magnificently. "Why, what a pleasure having someone from our neighbour here at my humble stall. Tell you what, dears! Since your lovely village has been so helpful in keeping poor Millie and her grandchildren healthy, I'll give you two cups with ice for fiv… four rupees!" she corrected herself at seeing his expression.

Zelda looked back and forth between them, slightly confused. "That's so kind of you, but we can't…"

"We gratefully accept your genial offer! You are a true lady and I'll never forget you." he interrupted, then nodded at his even more puzzled companion. She fished out the heavy purse, rummaged briefly in it and pulled out a little blue gem. "Keep it… for your kindness…" she said.

Link smirked, but he let her. It didn't really matter. They drank the proffered juice, he suppressing a wince as he did so, then returned the cups and bid their farewells. He could almost feel the nasty glare the old witch must be drilling him with… and it felt good…

They had only taken about ten steps before Zelda halted abruptly and smacked her forehead with her hand. "Harvest season! Nayru's wisdom, I'm such an idiot!" she exclaimed. Link could finally release the hearty laugh he had been holding in by biting his cheek… he knew she would catch on soon.

"Don't laugh! I'm feeling like such a fool! Goddess, how gullible am I?!" she ranted at herself, somewhere between being distraught and laughing with him.

"Now now, dumpling! Don't be too hard on yourself. Far more experienced people have been tricked in much more costly ways… it happens! This is these people's trade! Bootlicking and trickery." He chuckled as he supportingly caressed her back. "At least you immediately caught on that something was amiss!"

She made a sulky face. "I still feel dumb…" she mumbled, pouting her lips. "I assume six rupees was too expensive?"

"Yeah… ludicrously so." He answered, still laughing. " _Two_ rupees was too much for that muck!"

"Why didn't you stop me?!" she demanded, exasperated.

"Because this is a valuable lesson. It cost us almost nothing… but still, it did cost us something. And through that, you'll never forget it. Believe me, everyone has an experience like this…" he added thoughtfully as he gently pushed her to continue walking with him.

Her face became quite scarily grim. "To be honest, I really want to go back there and give that 'kind old lady' an earful! And dump her juice over her head! It wasn't even that good!"

Link snorted, partly in amusement, partly in disgust. "Hah! No, it wasn't. They use apple puree from last year and just add water. Wah!" he exclaimed screwing up his face and shaking his head. "Repulsive!"

He heard Zelda's high, sweet giggle. "You make it sound like the single most deplorable malefaction imaginable!" she

"Close enough! My dear mother would probably have made the crone drink all of her slop, while giving her a tirade she'd never forget… she'd probably have made her eat the cups as well…" he mused. "Oh! Before I forget… I'm afraid I have to nag about another thing…" he warned her, careful not to seem overly didactic or even gloating.

Her adorable face showed an almost pained expression and she made herself seem small. "Mhm?" she hummed, guiltily.

Now he felt bad… great job… "Please don't take the purse with all our money out into the open… That's like asking for trouble. Everyone who happened to be around us at the time now knows that you carry a heavy bag full of rupees…" he explained and let the implications form on their own.

Zelda eyed him, obviously startled, then buried her face in her hands. "I. Am such. An idiot." he heard her muffled voice.

"No you're not." Link said matter-of-factly and lightly embraced her. "You are only just at the beginning of your shopping career!"

"Did I put us in danger?" she asked miserably.

"No. We are in a rich part of a rich town. We are both armed and look like soldiers on leave. Plus, a heavy purse isn't an uncommon sight here. We're safe, don't worry about it, sweetie." he calmed her, stroking her back. People were giving them looks, standing in the middle of the sidewalk as they were, but he couldn't care less.

She unburied her face slightly and sky-blue puppy eyes looked at him. "I think you should handle the rest of our grocery shopping…" she mumbled.

"Absolutely not!" he refused and grinned at her. "Come now! You know so many things, far more than me! Allow me to provide you with a little practical knowledge as well… it's all I can do anyway!"

"That's not true…" she said, still sulking a bit.

"Okay, enough moping. The annoying, educational part of the day has been dealt with. Now we can begin exploring the town in earnest! Unless… you want to stop here?" he asked, smirking, for he already knew the answer.

"Noooo…" she moaned.

"Alright!" he chuckled and quickly gave her a peck on her nose. "Let's go build your spirits back up!"

* * *

It didn't take long, thankfully. The boulevard itself became more marketplace with every metre and Zelda was quickly back to her adorable, bubbling self. While Valewyn market might only be small in comparison, it still boasted a fascinatingly large variety of goods and a surprising amount of activity. Although the sun was already mostly behind the western hill, the general hustle and bustle seemed in no way ready to disperse and his excited girl was eager to be a part of it all. Link was certainly not unhappy with the situation, he too greatly enjoyed strolling through places like this, watching, discovering, savouring… He just had to be a tiny bit more watchful than usual… which wasn't easy when his charge was flittering from stall to stall like a psyched up puppy, trying to see everything at once.

She was browsing over a Gerudo's lavish display full of colourful confectionary that seemed incredibly appealing. "Link, look!" she grinned at him excitedly, pointing. "It all looks so pretty! I wonder what they all are!"

"What do you wish to know?" the majestic looking lady-proprietor asked with a business-like smile.

"Umm… what are these?" Zelda asked without hesitation, indicating a mound of yellow, wrinkly lumps.

"Candied Voltfruit. A delicacy of the desert." the Gerudo explained in her exotic accent.

"Hmm. And this?"

"Chickaloo nuts in Wildberry jelly, my most praised item." she declared proudly.

"It looks magnificent!" Zelda raved. "And that?"

Thankfully, her genuine, infectious enthusiasm would be enough to soften even the most grouchy trader's heart.

"Awwwww… can I buy some?" she asked squeakily, giving him the most enchanting puppy eyes. Wasted effort, of course… he wouldn't be able to refuse her anything anyway…

"It's your money, sweetling! Go ahead!" he chuckled, knowing that she wouldn't go overboard anyway. Her resplendent smile alone was worth it!

In the end they left with a few bites of the nuts in Wildberry jelly each, which was pricey, but delicious.

"Mmmh…" Zelda sighed, contented. "I was soooo hungry!"

Link had to chuckle. "Hah… I doubt that this little gem is enough to fill your stomach…"

"Nowhere near!" she confirmed, grinning. "But at least now I can think again. Now! Let's find a store that sells provisions and try to avoid it for as long as possible!"

"I see you thought of everything!" he smirked and poked her cheek purposefully with the finger that was most sticky after the sugary treat.

"ACK!" she squawked and vehemently wiped it off. "You mudlark!" she yelled and wiped her own finger along the bridge of his nose.

"Aw, sorry, dumpling. Here, I'll get it off!" he chuckled and quickly leaned in to plant a firm kiss on the spot where he had soiled her perfect skin. She grinned at him, slightly lopsided and mischievous. "Well… as far as master-plans go, not to bad either…" she snarled, grabbed his ears and pulled him down so she could give him three quick pecks down his nose.

Giggling, they went on their way hand in hand.

* * *

It must be at least ten in the evening and still there was plenty of activity in the streets. They were sitting on a hard bench at a sticky table belonging to a tavern on the hillside that overlooked the market at night, lit by hundred of oil-lamps, big and small. Link had scouted this one out with persistent asking of locals, who were loath to give up the knowledge of where they would go to eat to a tourist.

Zelda, across from him was beaming with pride and glee, and she was outrageously beautiful in the soft candlelight. He was probably grinning like a complete loon as he stared at her like that while she enjoyed the view, but he hardly cared.

"I think I've done pretty well, considering…" she suddenly said. Reluctantly, he pulled himself out of his reverie, so he could answer with more than mindless grunts. "You did! We got everything we need and we got a pretty good price, at least for this town." She really had done well! When hunger had finally forced them to abort their exploration and to get on with their actual goal, she had quickly found a suitable shop. Remembering what Link had brought with them and considering how much both of them ate over the course of a day, she had then proceeded to order hard-cured sausages, hard cheese and coarse travelling bread for about a ten days, timidly at first, but rapidly gaining in confidence. Link hardly ever had to interfere… all he'd had to do was quickly prime her on where the snares were, that one had to avoid. Thankfully, the middle-aged man behind the counter was of the honest sort… and probably had taken quite a liking to her. He couldn't fault him for that…

She grinned at him happily, clearly pleased that he acknowledged her success. She bit her lip in an impish way… it nearly knocked him off the chair. "You did well yourself! I love this place already, the view is gorgeous! How did you find it?"

He raised a conspiratorial eyebrow.

"Now now… I can't just tell you all my secrets and tricks all on one day, now can I?" he replied mysteriously.

"Fine!" she decided regally. "That way you can keep surprising me like this!"

He laughed and hoped that he would, in the future, be able to do just that.

"Well, new young faces! What can I get the cute couple?" a youngish voice addressed them. They both looked at the waitress, back at each other, grinned and blushed a bit, all in perfect unison. "Dear Farore's love, you _are_ young! Alcohol's definitely out for you two!" the well-bosomed woman in her early thirties stated with an amused expression. Link sighed dramatically. "Curses! We have been caught! I think we must make do with juice, dumpling!" he wailed.

"Easy there, hot shot! Don't get too cute with me, or I might get weak knees!" the waitress chuckled, showing a rather appealing smirk. He felt his face grow hot… he certainly hadn't expected that! But he was not defeated yet! "I do apologize, madam. I wouldn't have thought that even my harmless jests have such a stimulating effect on you…" he declared grandly.

"Heh, not bad, kid. Now, you're hungry and I'm busy. We still have some strawberry juice left, I can get you that. And I recommend the meat patties, they're excellent." she said, still smirking.

After a brief look at Zelda, who nodded, he said: "We're sold!"

"Great! I'll be right back, handsome!" the voluptuous woman flirted with a twitch of her eyebrow and left with an eye-catching swing of her hips.

Link was quite a bit embarrassed, which probably meant the waitress had reached her goal. He almost didn't dare to look back at the girl that actually interested him in fear that she might be disgruntled. Thankfully, that lovely little devil seemed to mightily enjoy herself, judging by her malicious smile.

"Well now, sausage knight. It appears even women of a riper age are falling for your charm. And what a lovely shade of red you presented her!" she practically cackled.

"Pfff…" he answered eloquently. "I'm beginning to wonder why I'm wasting my time with a young whippersnapper like you, anyways… Now there's a woman who could show me some things…" He made a very roguish face to accompany his saucy tone of voice.

"I bet she could!" Zelda giggled. "I doubt, however, whether you would survive it…"

"Her physical instruction or your infernal wrath?" he questioned cheekily.

"If you lived through the first, I'd be happy to finish you off…" she stopped rather abruptly, then finished with "Err… that could easily be misunderstood, I realize…"

They looked at each other for a second, both attempting, and failing, to hold in the ever increasing flood of laughter that hammered against their insides… then they erupted in a clangourous giggling fit that probably made everybody turn their head and stare at them in confusion.

They were still breathless when food and drink arrived, accompanied by a dry "You have to show me how to get this drunk without even drinking, kids…" from the waitress.

Link's stomach growled eagerly as he observed the two large meat patties in a hearty brown sauce, the copious amount of mashed potatoes and the abundance of roasted onions garnishing the whole marvel. When the smell hit, there was no stopping the two. Occasionally between bites he took a second to watch his usually so well-mannered princess stuff herself with the wonderfully delicious meal… it truly was a sight to behold! And her moans of pure pleasure were a delight to listen to. The portion was huge, though, and she stopped her onslaught about two thirds in to sit back for a spell.

"I can help you finish it!" Link spoke, radiating innocence as he leaned forward, wooden spoon ready to attack. He couldn't say whether there was a short enough measurement of time to describe how quickly she whipped forward and built a protective wall around her plate with her arms. Her face was quite possibly the scariest thing he had ever seen, it promised nothing but painful death. "Not a millimetre closer, you Hinox, or I'll have your arm as dessert! Back off!" she hissed like a cobra. He daintily removed his offending limb and made himself small like a scolded dog, grinning mischievously.

As if to prove her point, she took a huge spoonful of mash and gobbled it up noisily. "Aww who shtand bekween me and my food musht DIE!" she promised loud and clear… mostly loud.

"Well, now everybody knows…" he said dryly, chuckling, but trying very hard not to make eye-contact with anyone.

They finished their meal, revelling in its deliciousness and in each other's enjoyment. For a few minutes afterwards, no-one said a word… their bellies were much too full for movement of any kind.

"Well now… you two certainly were hungry…" the busty waitress applauded from somewhere in his peripheral vision.

"Hmm… it was sooo luscious!" Zelda sighed, her expression almost regretful, as if she were sad that it was already completely in her stomach.

"I'll be sure to tell the chef!"

"Say…" Link stirred from his stupor as she was picking up their wooden plates. "We spotted a rider, a messenger of the army, galloping into town earlier… would you know what this might be about? Did anything happen?" he asked on a whim.

"Mmmh… no. No idea." The waitress answered. Now, he wasn't the biggest expert in detecting lies… but she also wasn't a very good liar. The way she had decidedly no facial expression whatsoever was a rather big tell. Something _had_ happened… but she didn't want to speak of it… or couldn't…

Worrying… he was glad that his dinner-mauling companion still had her eyes closed and possibly hadn't caught the hint of deception. He hoped that he was jumping at shadows… it really could be anything… the mayor caught with someone else's wife and the messenger delivering his resignation form, already signed by the king…

…he hoped… but didn't really believe it.

"Stay seated… nurse your gut. I'll just go and pay." he offered, rising arduously.

"You don't have to tell me twice… try not to be abducted by her… the knight being saved by the princess doesn't quite have the right ring to it." she muttered, still draped heavily over the backrest.

He snorted and shuffled off towards the busy woman.

"What can I do for you, hot shot? Don't be shy now!" she smirked with a very mischievous glint in her eyes. For a moment Link wondered whether she was just messing with him, or whether she actually was a bird of prey, trying to get her claws into him. The thought was a little disturbing…

"You can tell me what I owe you…" he said aloud, then continued in a tone that was lost in the hubbub around except for her. "…and I would really appreciate if you could tell me what has happened. We are leaving tomorrow and I need to know whether the road is safe…"

For a second she looked angry and about to deny any knowledge of what he was talking about. But something in his voice, maybe the urgency of caring for two people, made her pause and her features smoothened again.

"I ran out of small change, I have to get more. Come with me!" she announced. She really wasn't a good liar, but everyone around was busy with their beers anyway. He followed her as bidden until they were against the wall of the tavern where it was relatively quiet.

"Two people have gone missing… a young couple who were meeting on the eastern hillside. The soldiers searched for them the next day and found only their remains… eaten…" the woman uttered, her voice strained, her face grim and full of worry. "That was a week ago. People report seeing movement in the dark streets at night… the mayor ordered everyone stay quiet to not disrupt trade, the fucker! Wouldn't lift a finger for any of us if it meant making his purse even heavier!" she spat viciously. "We've heard reports of Bokoblin sightings around the smaller villages, but they were always singular and not all that believable… I've no idea what's happening…" She looked at him, clearly scared and almost pleading, as if she hoped that he would tell her what nonsense it all was.

Link pondered what he had heard… It did sound very unlikely that Bokoblin were responsible… they weren't smart, true, but even they would think thrice before attacking a town like this… and stealth wasn't their strongest of skills. Then there was the matter of the hillside… the eastern one was steep and rocky right where the buildings ended… he doubted that these creatures would risk navigating this potentially deadly terrain for an assault, especially at night. But the fact remained… two people where dead…

"Thank you for telling me." he finally said. "It doesn't sound like Bokos… but until it is known what really happened, you probably shouldn't walk the streets at night… at least not alone…"

She swallowed, all levity and flirtatiousness gone from her features. "You think there is something?" she asked, obviously trying very hard to keep her voice calm.

He was surprised how this woman who had seemed so confident minutes earlier, who had teased him, the 15 year old boy, with her aggressive dallying, was now wide-eyed, hoping for his opinion… It was an interesting lesson, seeing how reluctant people were to accept a threat as real, even though they already feared it… and how easily this fear made people turn to anybody who might offer even an inkling of relief… or direction… no matter that if that anybody was a teenage stranger… "I think it would be unwise to disregard it. Don't make yourself crazy by expecting danger around every corner, but also don't live in denial of reality. Think about what you need to do, should things get unsafe." He tried to choose his words very carefully, getting his message across without evoking panic.

After a second of her biting her nails, thinking, she nodded. Then her eyes narrowed suddenly. "How… old are you again?" she asked, apparently confused.

Link had to think about how, conceivably, he was an ancient soul, rebirthed into a new body. If he thought even more, he did sometimes have… ideas, opinions that were very clear in his head, despite never really having considered them. A worrying line of pondering…

"Sometimes I wonder…" he replied cryptically and fished out three blue rupees.

* * *

Every fibre in his being wanted to keep this secret, to spare her from knowing that even in towns like Valewyn safety was beginning to crumble and people were worrying. He so much wished he could just let her enjoy this evening unblemished, careless as if nothing were wrong with the world. But he couldn't… he knew it would be a catastrophic betrayal of the trust that he cherished unendingly, needed desperately. He was not about to treat her like her father would… One good evening wasn't worth the sorrow of a promise broken.

Just not now… let her be carefree just a few minutes longer…

"Shall we go?" he asked once he had returned to the table.

She made some non-committal noise that mostly said 'fuuuuull…', but nodded. That, however was about as far as her movement went.

"Would you like me to carry you, my stuffed little dumpling?" he asked, giggling.

"Pff… I don't think you _could_ carry me right now…" she replied, her face content.

"Am I supposed to understand that as a challenge?" Link responded with a mock indignant tone.

Zelda opened her eyes and studied him, almost as if she were really considering it. "Another time, maybe…" she muttered and, slowly, without any rapid movements, she got up.

"So full?" He couldn't quite keep a certain malicious glee from his features.

She made something between a sigh and a little laugh. "That's what you get for introducing me to such delectable fare…"

"Understood. Bread and water it is. My liege has spoken!" he announced obsequiously.

"Your liege will have your head for even thinking such blasphemy!" she growled like an angry lioness.

"Why don't we go to the edge of that terrace? Enjoy the view a little longer while we wait for your stomach to cope with its titanic load?" He suggested and pointed to a little ledge just a few steps away of the tavern's plateau. Link really wanted to let her commit this enchanting view of the nocturnal town to memory, but he also had an ulterior motive. He didn't want to navigate the steep stairs of the hillside at night with who-knows-what lurking in the vicinity with someone who could hardly move her gluttonous self.

They stepped towards the edge, which was secured by a rather intricately hewn stone banister. A soft, nightly breeze cooled the valley and played with Zelda's hair. The sounds of subdued activity from the tavern mixed with the distant noise of the still going market and the chirping of crickets. The view from here was spectacular… a labyrinth of narrow roads, dotted with the warm shine of torches or oil lamps, going down their hillside and up the other, like a brisk wave of warm starlight. In the middle was still the epicentre of commerce and, apparently, some sort of performance for tourists and traders. The night air, carrying the scent of warm earth and rosemary, mixed with her intoxicating scent that always seemed to render him both calm and invigorated. …It was one of those moments were every sense felt at ease, every detail fell perfectly into place for a grand picture of peace. A rare moment… a precious moment…

He looked over and saw that she had her eyes closed, a fair smile on her tranquil features. She had the same sense for the moment, found the same enjoyment in its simplistic consummation. For reasons he couldn't quite fathom, this pleased him to no end.

He stood beside her, shoulder against shoulder, but suddenly this was all too far away. Very carefully, gently caressing her back and shoulders as he moved, he manoeuvred to hug her from behind, cautious not to disturb the mood with so much as a rustle of clothing. Snaking his arms around her belly, delicately so she wouldn't be uncomfortable, he rested his cheek against her head. She responded by leaning back just a little, closing that last bit of distance between their bodies, fitting herself wonderfully against him and into his embrace. As if their senses were shared, everything seemed even more alive, without losing its tranquillity. For a luxurious instant there was no worry, no wrong, no darkness over their heads. No thought was necessary, nothing needed to be planned or considered or feared. Their minds were still, everything was at a perfect equilibrium, every sense, every emotion, an immaculate harmony between two souls and the world around them.

The moment passed, but it had been savoured to its fullest. Thinking returned, but a little peace remained.

Zelda stirred a tiny bit in his arms, snuggling against him, resting her head against his shoulder and nuzzling a tiny kiss on his neck. "Thank you for bringing me here… to this town, to this tavern, to this spot… thank you, Link, my sweet knight…" she breathed.

He didn't really know what to say… no words, no phrase seemed even remotely adequate to show his own gratitude for choosing to come with him.

No, that wasn't entirely true… he knew three words that would come close. With every day that passed, he grew more assured that he wanted to speak them. They were almost on his tongue, so strongly did he feel for her… maybe, once again, waiting for the right moment was folly and it was upon him to create it for them. But… no… the time wasn't now. The bitter truth of what he had heard, what he needed to impart returned to his mind… the peace was broken. And as much as it tormented him to put hers in jeopardy, he knew he had to… She was his equal in this mission. She needed to know.

He still needed to respond to her words that had made his heart quake and his soul weep with emotion. Since words failed him, he hugged her ever so slightly tighter and put kiss after kiss on her hair, her forehead, her ear and finally, on her lips. It was a gentle one, but long and profound. She felt what he had almost wanted to say, he was sure of it… he thought he could feel it from her… at least he hoped he did…

Link broke the kiss and swallowed heavily. He prayed that she wouldn't be afraid, but also that she wouldn't be angry with him for prematurely ending this wonderful moment with dark words.

"Zelda, I… have to tell you something." he whispered, his eyes closed.

"Hmm?" she hummed, nuzzling his neck again.

"I, err… I talked to our waitress… because I thought that she wasn't honest with us…" he began.

"About not knowing what the envoy might be about?"

"Hm." He took a deep breath, mostly to calm his nerves. "She told me that the people of Valewyn are afraid… Two people were snatched in the night from the hillside, then found the following day…" He was sure he didn't need to go into more detail… especially about them being a young couple. "People say they have seen shapes move through the streets at night. I am not sure what to make of it, to be honest. The hill is steep, the risk of attacking a town is great… But with everything we've seen already…" He trailed off, then waited, both hoping and fearing for her to say something.

She was still in his arms for a few seconds, though she had lifted her head off his shoulder while listening and was looking straight ahead. The suspense made his stomach cramp… In the end she gave a single, grim chuckle.

"No rest for us, then..." she muttered and sighed.

"I wouldn't go quite so far. We really don't know… everybody could be jumping at shadows, no need to join them quite yet…" he answered, trying to put the situation into the right light.

"Maybe this simply is the level of threat we have to get used to… for now." Zelda interjected. "Maybe we have to learn to live as normally as we possibly can despite a constant sense of peril…"

"An ugly prospect… but unfortunately a likely one…" he had to admit.

"What did you tell her?"

He sighed. "Something similar. Don't disregard it, but don't let it drive you insane, I said."

She nodded… then laughed, subdued. It did him good to hear it, even though he didn't know where it came from. "I knew something was amiss when you came back from paying…" she said softly.

Link could have guessed as much… but he still wanted to know "How?"

Now she turned slightly in his embrace so she could look at him with those magnificent eyes of hers, reflected torchlight seeming to make them sparkle even more than usual. "Your expression, your voice… haven't we established that you can't lie to me?" she asked with a sly smirk.

He made a face. "Well… that limits my tactical acumen quite a bit…" he joked, but then got serious immediately again. "I was always going to tell you… I promise!" he asserted, hoping to all three that she believed him.

She smiled at him softly, like a mother at her child, who was being a bit dumb. She turned around fully so they were belly to belly and let her hand cup his cheek. "I knew you were. That's why I didn't ask."

Link was so befuddled and relieved that she practically had to pull him into another kiss, this time noticeably more intense. His inaction didn't last long as his body didn't need his brain to respond correctly. When before everything had been all innocent tenderness, now a certain hunger was roused from its rather light sleep. He broke the contact of their lips to form a trail of little kisses along her cheek towards her earlobe, which he nibbled gently. He felt her body shiver in his arms. Naturally, he did it again, this time, very gently, playing with it between his teeth. Again, a delightful little wave coursed through her body, accompanied by the cutest sigh… both of which urging him on.

"This is a dangerous game you're playing…" she giggled into his ear, her voice wavy, her breath hot and exciting.

"Oh? Dangerous is it?" he replied and kissed whatever his lips could find. Well… she wasn't wrong… and they were in the open… in darkness with no people immediately around, but still…

"Verrrry dangerous…" she whispered.

"Hm. How so?" he questioned further, softly sucking on her neck, which earned him another little quaver.

"I might get some ideas…" Zelda answered, enticingly cryptic.

"I might be willing to bear the consequences…" he assured.

* * *

The way back to their inn could NOT have been longer… every step was too much, every minute lost was too precious. When they had finally fumbled the key into the lock they nearly fell into their chamber, already entangled and giggling like idiots. Someone, didn't matter who, had the presence of mind to remove the key and lock the door from the inside. Their lips wrestled with each other, desperate not to miss the tiniest moment of their fiery kiss. His wandered lower, stroking over her shapely back and slim waist to reach her womanly rear. She gave a funny little squeak and giggled into his face. Her fingers brushed threw his hair over and over again… he loved when she did that. Her amazing scent made him wild and sent shivers down his spine. Without the slightest effort he picked her up where his hands already rested and carried her the two steps towards the bed, where he laid her down, not all too gently. Their noses were smooshed together and they laughed before his mouth found hers again, both enchanted fully by the ever building sensations their lust brought with it.

Link's fingers had a new target… he let them flow over her front, contouring her belly and chest, before getting to work on the pesky buttons on her blouse. It took all his patience not to rip the bloody thing away, especially when the damned things refused to cooperate. Nibbling on her lower lip, he vowed to get much, much practice in opening the buttons on her clothing…

Both he and her were already riding the incomparable high of desire… both on their way to paradise… both so focused on each other that they only noticed the town bell's frantic ringing after an endless minute…


	41. Chapter 40

**Damn, chapter 40 already… and not an easy one to write… but definitely a fun one. As always, thank you all so much for your brilliant support! It absolutely helps fuel this tired brain of mine. That and coffee.**

 **One thing I always wonder writing this: how many of you catch on to little details before I reveal what they mean… am I making it too obvious? Am I making it too obscure? Ideally you figure out some of it after a while, so you can feel satisfied when you're right… It is a game about riddles and puzzles, after all…**

 **Enough rambling! Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 40

Link

When the information from his ears finally reached his hormone drowned brain, he started up and listened.

"What is that?" Zelda asked, wide eyed.

Ding-ding. Ding-ding. Ding-ding, the bell went in an urgent speed that could only mean danger.

"Alarm! Fire or… attack!" Link gasped as he jumped from the bed to look out the small window. No orange shine that might forewarn a fire… either it was too small yet… or…

He could hear the hasty trampling of the other guests in their rooms or the corridor. Their voices rang chaotically through their door, some fearful, some angry.

"What do we do?" Zelda asked breathlessly, her face pale, redoing her buttons.

What indeed? If it is an attack, stay here, barricaded, easily forced into a corner with no escape? What if it is a fire? This room could be their death-trap… Go outside then? Into the open to a confusing web of tiny streets where they could be easily assaulted from multiple sides?

…what if people needed his help? Zelda was his first priority, yes, but… would he just abandon others to get her to safety? Could he leave her somewhere in possibly illusionary safety so he might protect others?

He needed to make a decision… but what does one do when every path was the wrong one?

"Get your sword and take one of my knives. We need to know what's going on." he commanded quickly, grabbing his own sword and shield.

"What about the horses? Could we ride out if we had to?" she asked, donning her sword-belt and trying to affix the knife's sheath to it and failing because of hasty inexpertness.

"The gates will be closed for the night and they won't open them until they're sure that nothing wants to get in that way." he explained, helping her with the knotting. "Besides, if there's chaos on the streets, we can't get through easily with our mounts…" That was, of course, not entirely true, as he was sure she knew. Two war-horses could easily force themselves through a crowd, but such a drastic measure would be sure to result in many injuries of the innocent. He knew any such action would be inconceivable for her and he was glad for it.

They opened the door to pandemonium in the corridor. Apparently the entrance hall downstairs was full and people were scrambling and pushing to get down as well, either hoping to have safety in numbers, or simply because they blindly followed the mass. A veritable barrage of shouts, grunts, curses and angry opinions hit their ears. "It's a fire, I tell you! We need to get out!" a stout, red haired woman yelled, seemingly near hysteria.

"Nonsense! The fire bell sounds different!" A surprisingly noble looking thin man supplied, nervously twisting his moustache.

"And how would you know that? Get the hell outta my way!" a red faced, bald brute growled, attempting to get further ahead, not shy to use his bulk.

"Everybody knows that, you fool! And stop shoving this instant or you'll regret it!" the thin man hissed.

"What is it then, pray? A fucking monster attack? Don't be ridiculous!" baldy scoffed, spraying spit with every syllable.

"Haven't you heard of the two kinds what got mauled? Sounds right of monsters to me!" a woman behind him opined.

"Bah! Two shits break their necks in the hills and you sheep think it's the end-times! Morons!" the brute shouted, trying once again to jostle forward.

"You know what you are, you mother…" the noble looking man roared, obviously losing his cool. But before everybody around had a chance to find out what exactly he was, the people ahead started moving. Apparently someone had decided to go outside to either find out more or gawk… and, naturally, had started a near mindless, crowd-mentality-driven efflux. 'If everyone does it, it must be alright, right?'

"Stay close to me, tell me immediately if you think something's wrong, no matter what it is, keep your left hand on your sheath, so you can draw your sword immediately." Link said quietly and curtly and waited for her to nod her understanding. He gave her a very brief, encouraging smile before leading the way down. Something gnawed at him… a feeling in his gut that he couldn't quite grasp, even less than a premonition…

Downstairs a few people had remained inside, possibly too intimidated to brave the unknown outside. They were pressing around the windows, though, trying to curb their curiosity without having to leave the perceived safety of the interior.

"Is it smart to go outside?" Zelda asked justifiably. Din's fire, he wished he had answers to these potentially life-deciding questions… He felt like a toddler in the woods, lost himself, but still responsible for his little sister… He also didn't know whether he should follow his instincts and sell them as tactical deliberations to make her feel safe, or openly admit that he was painfully unsure himself.

"Not at the moment, I don't think. We will let the crowd outside be our eyes and ears for now."

He stepped a little closer to the open door and gazed at the throng of confused and nervous men and women, craning their necks in every direction, hoping to detect anything that might shed some light on what was going on. At least a dozen arguments were going on where poorly supported theories were thrown around as facts, mostly to make themselves appear secure and on top of the whole situation. It appeared as if the majority of inhabitants from this street's houses had gathered… All faces were tense, the attempts at humour forced, as was the resulting laughter, shrill and too loud. Link wondered whether this almost tangible anxiousness was just a result of uncertainty, or whether these people could, somehow, sense that something terrible was about to occur.

A very faint, high-pitched noise made him look to the left, toward the main boulevard. It was a bell, the small piercing bell the night watch would carry to signal peril to all others in the vicinity. It came closer, and quickly. Someone was running towards them, ringing the signal non-stop.

Now the crowd had heard too. Their impotent squabbling had stopped almost instantly, and all eyes were aimed at where the noise came from in breathless silence.

A hysterical tolling like this left very little room for speculation…

Two guards rounded the corner, drenched in sweat and gasping for breath. When they saw the throng in the street, the superior redoubled his urgent ringing.

"Into your homes!" he yelled, breathless. "Go back inside, in the name of the king!" His heavy armour clanking, he started running again, in a speed that made it clear that he wouldn't stop for anyone who still stood in the streets when he came through. It took a second of startled fright for the crowd to react.

Then it was chaos.

People ramming into each other, trying to beeline to the safety of their homes through and over anyone who stood in their way, others confused and panicked, running this way and that, desperate to remember where they came from. The fool of a guard had, as Link had feared, crashed into the people at the front who couldn't have possibly made way quick enough because of the milling, precipitate mob behind them.

This was bad… Link had no illusions that these two watchmen were in no way battle-hardened warriors, but to see them this recklessly afraid… One thing was clear: now it had become imperative that he know what was going on.

"Stay here!" he commanded her in a tone that tolerated no buts. He grabbed her shoulder and pulled her out of the way of the men that were storming back in. He had to yell to make himself heard over the din of stomping and shouting. "If they close everything, go to our room, understand?!" He hated that he had to be so brusque to her of all people, but there was no time. He couldn't even wait for her to signal her understanding… he needed to get out before the soldiers had shouldered their way through and had sprinted on.

Using sheer strength and his slim frame he wormed past the crowd trying desperately to get in, receiving many an elbow in the ribs and stomach.

He kept to the wall, trying to circumnavigate the worst of the pandemonium of shoving, yelling and trampling. He had completely lost the pair of guards in the mad chaos… he hoped that he wasn't too late, or that they hadn't given up on their attempt to find another way through. The bell was silent too; it was of no use now… it could restore order about as much as its shrill noise could calm these tempers. For all he knew his two targets were already trampled by hundreds of scared, hasty feet… no badge or king's name could have protected them…

Right in front of Link a woman was bodily shoved out of the way, screaming in fright or pain as she stumbled backwards. He dived forward and caught her, barely standing her back up before others could stomp over her legs. One brief, startled look was all the reward he got before she ran off, trying to get to safety.

Suddenly he saw them only a couple of metres away. The guy in the front had raised his truncheon over his head, either to signal his comrade where he was or to try to beat people out of the way… Link clenched his jaw. For this man's sake, he hoped it was the former.

Redoubling his effort to move around the now thinning chaos, he manoeuvred to a point where he predicted they would emerge.

Here they were, and as soon as they saw that the way on was mostly clear, they began running. Link barely had time to step in their way.

"Wait! What is happening?" he asked loudly, holding out his hand without actually touching either of the two.

"Move, boy!" the first one yelled, raising his truncheon, hysteria in his voice. When he didn't move instantly, the man's hand twitched downwards, but… something made him stop… something in the very calm stare that Link gave him, completely unthreatening, yet somehow much more terrifying because of it.

"Calm yourself, soldier! These people depend on you remaining composed. Is that understood?" He growled, assuming an air of high command so easily it surprised him. So much so that he nearly dropped the act.

Even more amazing… it seemed to work. After a moment of terrified indecision, the guard lowered his club and started breathing deeply, more easily. Only now did Link realize how young he was, probably just two years his senior. He probably had never drawn this weapon in earnest… his twitching, wide open eyes screamed just how out of his depth the poor lad was… The emergence of someone who gave any sort of direction was probably like a deliverance from responsibility for him…

"Good. I am knight-aspirant Link Andrésson. You will report the situation and your last orders!" he commanded, still staring the lad unblinkingly in his eyes. He produced his badge and held it on eye-level for both guards to see. "Be quick about it, man!"

The two young soldiers' training kicked in at the harsh tone and they snapped to rigid attention. "Full report, _sir_!" the first one yelled dramatically.

Link nearly burst out laughing, but caught himself just in time… sticking to their drilled in routine in this sea of madness they felt themselves drown in probably was the only comfort those wretched boys could get right now. It was even more ridiculous because, technically, he had absolutely no authority over men of the watch as a mere aspirant. But he wasn't about to argue the finer points of the chain of command when something had these two sprinting like lunatics.

"Report!"

"15 minutes after the midnight bell squad six found th… the… the bodies of squad five, sir. Up on the eastern hill, sir. Attackers gone from the scene, sir, but… their wounds, sir, they…" the lad swallowed and even under the shadow of his too large helmet, Link could see that he had gone chalk-white.

"Monsters? Claws and teeth?" he asked curtly.

"Aye, sir. I… I've never seen anything like it…" he stammered. 'You've probably never seen any monster…' Link thought to himself.

"Continue!"

"Only one of the men had their weapons drawn, sir… they were surprised. Sergeant Gart's blade was covered in dark blood, though, so he at least got one of them!" the young man hissed grimly. In his eyes, full of dark anger now, Link could see that he had lost friends in this squad…

"The alarm was rung and squads 11 through 18 were ordered to split up into pairs and comb the streets and make sure that no-one was to be found outside, sir! We are squad six, originally, sir, but… sergeant said we should make ourselves useful…"

Probably sent the poor sods away so they had something to do and didn't have to think about the horror they had just witnessed, Link thought.

"Very good… constable." he answered after looking at his chevron. "Have there been any other encounters with the enemy?"

"No, sir! I mean, I know of none, sir!" the lad muttered hastily.

"Very well, constable. Carry on with your orders. And don't let me catch you lifting your truncheon for anything other than self defence again, understood? You are here to protect these men and women, is that not so?" he questioned with a voice as unyielding as steel.

The young soldier's Adam's apple bobbed violently for a moment. "Aye sir! It will not happen again, sir!"

Link nodded, his gaze stern. "Dismissed."

The two actually snapped a crackling salute, then ran off as if he were the one truly scary thing they had faced tonight.

He looked around at the now silent town in this moonless night. The crowd had finally dispersed, but the air of tension and fear was now even more oppressing in the quiet that had come after the din. He felt the hairs on the nape of his neck stand on end… at least now he was pretty certain what had attacked the poor, unprepared guards… and it wasn't good…

He jogged back towards the inn. Hazily, he could see a lot of faces behind the dull glass, watching him, whispering. He could almost feel the fear pouring outside… trying to get these men and women to open this door for him would take minutes of painstaking explanation to allay their fear induced stupidity. Time he didn't want to spend.

Trusting that his intelligent Zelda would have done as he had asked her, even without understanding it at the time, he circled around the building into the back alley where their window was. All were closed, which pleased him greatly. She _was_ a smart one! Thankfully he had counted the number of rooms they had passed to get to theirs. He picked up a tiny pebble and threw it at the wooden shutter.

She opened it instantly, looking afraid, but determined. Upon seeing him, she smiled in a way that made his knees wobble. "Farore's mercy, thank you!" she breathed, relief so clear in her voice that he felt a substantial amount of guilt for worrying her so. She disappeared very briefly before chucking down a length of rope. She grinned at his perplexed look. "Where…"

"I… appropriated it!" she giggled as he began climbing. "From the laundry room… they were all far too busy to notice! Tied it to the bed-post!" Her proud tone of voice made him smirk.

"Remind me why _I_ am supposed to take care of _you_?"

It only took him a few seconds to ascend the rope to the first floor. He was barely in the room when Zelda planted a very urgent kiss on his lips, nearly knocking him back out the window. Then she pulled back, crossed her arms and glared at him. "Now, you better tell me that this has been worth it, you, you…" she growled menacingly, apparently unable to find an expletive that conveyed what utter scum he was. But, of course, he knew that she knew that he couldn't have taken her with him into the panicky crowd… there was no way he could have reliably kept her safe.

"It was… I think I know what has entered the town…" He swallowed, reviewing what he had learned for at least the tenth time, hoping another conclusion would arise. "Lizalfos…"

For a second she looked as if she didn't believe him… he couldn't fault her for that…

"But… here?" she asked as uncertainty crept over her mind.

"I know, but… it's the only thing that makes sense to me. Creatures that can climb up a steep, rocky cliff, carrying two Hylians. Creatures that are stupid enough to attack a whole town. Creatures that can overpower a squad of town-guards before they can even raise alarm." He listed, extending a finger for each point.

Zelda swallowed heavily. "Why would they come here? Why now? Why leave the mountains?"

"Why indeed… why are there suddenly Bokoblin roaming the heartlands when there were none for decades? Centuries even! Maybe they are all starting to hear their master's call…" he said darkly.

He could see her balling her hand to a fist, digging her nails into her flesh, possibly trying to keep calm. He couldn't watch it, he reached over to take her hand, closed the window behind him, annoyed that he hadn't done so sooner, and led her to the bed to sit down. As he sat beside her, he could feel her tremble ever so slightly… he placed a calming hand on her back, but couldn't find the right words, if there were any.

The reptilian beasts were very bad news… 'If you see a Lizalfos it's either fight or die.' an old adage said, alluding to the fact that you simply can not flee from them. They could run faster, they could climb faster, they could swim faster… If you weren't on a horse in full gallop when you encountered one, you had only one choice: Try your luck killing it, for running only meant waiting for an inevitable sharp pain in your back, followed by a gruesome death. And they were so utterly unencumbered by intelligence that they knew little to no fear. There was another adage… 'Men knew no true fear until first stalked by the demon in lizard's skin.'

"What do we do?" the miraculous girl beside him asked with such determination that he couldn't help but admire her. But goddess help him, what could he answer?

"First off, the inside is no real protection. These things can climb pretty much any surface and enter through every window. But it's still better than roaming the nightly streets…" he began, hoping a solution would present itself while he was talking… he doubted it. "Ideally these things will just gorge themselves on whatever food they find in the markets and then bugger off… The watch won't catch them, they're too good at hiding and move too quickly."

"They are nocturnal hunters…" Zelda mused. "They're rarely active for more than a few hours, I've read… So maybe we should wait for the morning?"

His little scholar, he thought, smiling. "I believe so… we…"

He stopped, his smile wilted away. He had clearly heard something from… above!

The roof was slanted steeply, no hylian would find purchase there… no hylian…

He heard it again, much clearer now… something hard, like claws, scraping over tiles, not loud, quite the opposite… Something large, creeping very carefully, its tough nails making barely a whisper over the slippery surface…

Link's heart began to race… why, of all the houses in the town, were they here?!

"Link!" he heard her tiny squeak beside him. Startled, he realized he had clenched his hand with her fingers still in it. He opened his cramped fist and eyed her in horror as she massaged her hand. "I'm so sorry!" he breathed, but she brushed his words away with a gruff gesture. There was silence for a while... he thought he could hear a very faint sniffing, but couldn't be sure that his mind wasn't playing tricks on him. They, too, were quiet, barely daring to breathe.

After an endless minute, they heard the scraping again, moving along the building, then vanishing into stillness once more.

No words were spoken for another few seconds, all senses strained to the max, hoping that nothing would return.

Zelda broke the silence. "Link… they're here for _us_!" she whispered, her voice cracking, her expression terrified.

He eyed her, jaw clenched, thinking furiously. Of course that thought had crossed his mind, but... he wasn't convinced of it… there was no real proof, this could still be coincidence! But the most worrying thought, were it true, would be: how?

"Why do you think that?" he wanted to know, hoping against his conviction that she had said that out of a spell of hysteria and not cool consideration.

"Think about it! They appear a few days before us. Their one and only target so far was… a young couple…" her voice failed her and she put her hand over her mouth, her eyes tearing up. "They thought they were us… I heard a woman downstairs… they were sixteen… and both blonde…"

Link's insides turned to ice. She was right, she had to be… A group of Lizalfos attacking two people resembling them, then roaming the streets at night without any further attacks… until the very night Zelda and he arrived… These things weren't here by accident… they had very specific prey in mind…

And now they were here…

But that wasn't the worst part… "The people downstairs! Everyone is in danger because of us!" she breathed, nervously biting her finger. Link clenched his jaw… yes, his first priority was Zelda, but he just could not be so callous as to dismiss these men and women and leave them to their fate… he simply didn't have it in him. And he knew she would never allow her people being put at risk for her.

Somewhere in the building the old wood creaked, as it had a dozen times before… only now every sound was a potential portent for disaster and they both jumped. …no more sounds could be heard, apart from the occasional gust of wind.

"What do we do?" Zelda asked shrilly, desperation now obvious in her voice. "They _will_ find us! The people down there, they…" She suddenly had a far off look, her beautiful features twisted into a grimace of utter horror. "A man drowning in his own blood! Another getting stabbed, trying to protect a woman! She screams, then dies too! …blood everywhere, and dread, and death! They die because they're in the way! The beasts don't care! They…"

Link grabbed her head, terrified, his heart storming at a deadly pace, and gruffly forced her to face him. "Look at me! _Zelda_!" he hissed, shaking her as gently as he possibly could. "Look. At. Me!"

Slowly, as if with great difficulty, her eyes focused on his, her extremely wide pupils got back to normal. After another second, she started breathing again and her suddenly cold fingers gripped his arms like a drowning man would a life saver.

"There you go. Focus on me! You're here with me! Nobody's dead downstairs! They haven't found us!" he whispered, fixating on her shining eyes, trying his utmost to give her calmness, even though he felt like he had none himself.

She was panting rapidly, unconsciously digging her nails into his skin… she seemed to teeter on the verge of complete panic, staring into his eyes as if they were her only safe haven, and losing them meant the descent into madness. Her face contorted as if she was about to violently sob, worrying him so much he felt his own breath catch in his throat… but she caught herself, biting down on her lip like pain might help carry her back into the now.

"We need to leave!" she said so silently it was almost inaudible.

He believed her… to think anything of what he had just witnessed was acted would be the height of foolishness. Her hands still were ice cold, she trembled like a leaf in a gale and there was such terror in those eyes he loved so much, it made his stomach churn.

"Please!" she pleaded.

He nodded, although he didn't like it one bit. Leaving now, with these monsters doubtlessly still in the vicinity, felt completely, catastrophically wrong. But if it was the only way to keep innocents from harm… He couldn't protect them all, if it came to a fight. But, he grimly vowed, he could protect her. Besides… whatever Zelda had seen, it frightened her to the death! And he was not about to let her live through another… phantasm like that!

They probably had a little bit of time left… somehow these bloody creatures knew their approximate location… but they wouldn't charge into a building until they were certain. Blind slaughter did not aid their hunt.

"Then we have to brave the streets… Do you remember where the nearest guard office was?" he asked, moving his hands to her shoulders, which he held firmly, but supportively, attempting to hold her in reality, if she was still at risk of losing it.

For a moment she seemed to have problems concentrating, her brow furrowed, trying to think. "We walked past it… twice… it's just on the way we came here, right?" she replied uncertainly, something obviously distracting her.

"And you remember the way we came here?" he followed up. He had to make sure she knew the way in case they were separated… in case he had to stay behind…

"I do." She answered, more firmly now.

"Good. That's where we're going for now. These offices are usually built to have only one exit to keep arrestees from escaping. Few ways out means few ways in. And there will be one or two guardsmen left there to aid us. Agreed?" He had formed this plan relatively quickly, so he hoped he wasn't making a grave miscalculation.

Zelda nodded, her gaze much clearer now, though still rife with heart-pounding tension. He could sense by her terror-stricken eyes and the tremble in her shoulders just how scared she was to go out into the suddenly so deadly streets. He knew how she felt… he was too.

"Get what you have to, but nothing that encumbers you or limits your movement. Go!" he ordered, hastening to his own bag where he snatched the heavy purse, poured about a quarter of the shiny crystals into his own pouch and affixed it to his belt by its leather strap. He also grabbed the rolled up parchment with the king's seal and stuffed it into his tunic. What he wouldn't give for bottomless pockets…

When he turned back around, Zelda stood ready… pale, jaw clenched, her hand cramped around the sheath of her sword, once again strong willed… Whatever nightmare had befallen her, she had overcome it… unfortunately he had no time to be proud of her.

"Good. We climb." he whispered. He had been straining his ears the whole time, but no suspicious noises were heard… Either the scaled monsters were combing the roofs somewhere else, or… or they already knew where they were and simply lay in waiting motionlessly. Why the hell didn't he know how good their hearing was? Could they have heard their whispered conversation through wood and tiles, and through the hubbub from the common room? Conceivably… he just didn't bloody know!

"I go first and signal you I think it's safe." Link breathed and, exceedingly carefully, opened the window. Sticking his blonde head out just enough to get a glimpse of the outside, he surveyed the street below and twisted his neck to see the overhanging roof above. Nothing could be seen… but in a back-alley on a cloudy night there were enough dark corners to hide a Goron mining party…

Moving as silently as he possibly could, he stepped onto the sill, let the hempen rope back down and, deliberately, rappelled onto the cobbles below.

The hairs on his neck stood on end… he felt as unprotected as a child alone in the mountains. After a brief but thorough look around, and an even more careful listen, he gave the rope a gentle flick that travelled all the way up. Immediately, Zelda appeared, nimbly clambering over the windowsill, careful that her rapier didn't bump against anything during her acrobatics. As she hung herself out the window, her weight now fully supported by the hemp, the moon broke through the clouds for the first time that night. Link started at the sudden light, but after quick thinking decided that this could only be an advantage… Lizalfos were nocturnal, as she had said… so they would see better at night anyway… ergo, the more light he and Zelda had, the more even they were on that field.

Through her motions, the end of the rope scraped against the cobbles… a tiny noise, but in the surrounding silence it rang out like the screech of a dozen Zora violins. Link bent down to pick the end up but stopped abruptly, eyes widened in shock, not even daring to breathe. Right in front of him, only visible now in the moonlight, was a trail of dark, almost black blood… "At least he got one of them!" the lad had said… Just a few speckles here and there, but… dreadfully, heart-stoppingly fresh…

"DROP!" he roared, his skin going both hot and cold. It was a testament to her trust that only after a heartbeat of consideration she let herself fall. In the infinitely distended second that followed, Link saw how a shadow, completely invisible up until now, had jumped from under the opposite building's overhanging roof and was already, unstoppably, flying towards his falling Zelda.

It would smash into her! They were still too high up, he couldn't jump that! What could he do?! There was no time, even drawing his sword would take too long, he only had… the rope! Acting on pure instinct, and praying that whatever gift he possessed would grant him strength for just this moment, he yanked at the hempen cord with all his might. For a miniscule, horrible instant he believed he had failed and all was lost…

But with a sudden sharp wooden snap the rope came loose and, still perceiving everything in panicky slowness, he watched as the bed-post it had been tied to sailed out the window and towards the creature plunging from above. It crashed into its shoulder, twisting it around in the air just enough, changing its trajectory just enough that its claws, glinting in the moonlight, missed Zelda's neck and found only air.

Releasing the rope he dampened her impact with the ground, then pushed her behind him and drew his sword. The Lizalfos had rallied impossibly well… it hadn't crashed with the inn's wall, it had landed on it as if it were solid ground, had turned its ugly head towards them and was flexing the muscles in its legs, getting ready for another jump.

Now, however, the tables had turned… now that Link's heart-freezing fear for her life was receding, it left room for the searing-hot fury that galloped through his nerves and muscles, and promised nothing but death for these craven, backstabbing mistakes of nature!

It jumped… razor-claws primed for his throat, eyes lolling wildly in anticipation of a kill, teeth bared, ready to sink them in his flesh…

Link was ready. It jumped to its doom.

Switching to a two-handed grip, he made one perfectly calculated, ducking step forward and stabbed right at its face. It had no time to react… its claws flew over him and his blade sunk to the hilt through its skull, the force of his thrust great enough to arrest its motion instantly, breaking its neck in the process. It died before it ever knew what had happened… a pity, almost, thought Link.

Its carcass hit the ground, limp, but still twitching as its body slowly joined its head in death.

Violently, he ripped his sword from the repulsive creature's skull. Dark grey scales, slim, hunched body and narrow limbs, a twitching tail and a cruel looking horn on its head… On its hands it wore a sort of glove with long, metal claws on the tips of its fingers, enhancing its own…

But a tiny glance had to be enough to take in the important details… he had no time for more.

Zelda, when he had pushed her out of the way, had fallen down behind him. She was on her back, propped up on her elbows and stared at the dead fiend in horror. Undoubtedly she had felt how close its vicious claws had come to her skin…

He rushed over and hauled her to her feet, time so deathly scarce that he didn't even regret how rough he had to be… He could already hear the hurried scraping of death-bringing talons over stone from a disheartening number of directions. He had killed their vanguard, their assassin… but the rest were now so close he could almost feel them breathing down his neck. They were wary, probably, but their killing intent was palpable in the air…

Link grabbed her hand and pulled her under the overhanging roof of a lower building… here at least they couldn't attack from above. Blessedly, Zelda's was able to shed her horrified stupor and, in one quick, fluid motion, drew her rapier. As he retrieved his shield from his back he urgently wanted to comfort her, but sadly, there was no time for that either…

"Behind me, in the corner!" he hissed, twitching as he saw slow, cautious movement from the darkness. She made a sound, something between an affirmative hum and a jittery, involuntary squeak, he couldn't tell which. He had already taken position in front of her and couldn't look back, no matter how much he wanted to… any mistake, no matter how tiny, might be his death.

The menacing shades slowly emerged from their nooks and stepped over the street towards them… Link's heart sank… six of them…

She gasped behind him, her breath quick through clenched teeth. There were those that froze in times of overwhelming peril, but he didn't think her the type. He had already seen her keep fighting when everything had seemed lost. But she also couldn't get too aggressive…

"Don't go for a kill. Focus only on defence!" he growled, before she was lost in the mindlessness of battle. "High guard! They go for the throat…"

She gave another quavering hum and by the rustle of her clothes she changed her position slightly. Good girl… not many were this cogitative before battle…

The Lizalfos approached, step by careful step, drawing the circle around them ever smaller… running, of course, had never been an option once they were on their trail.

They moved fluidly, but their heads twitched almost grotesquely, their eyes rolling wildly in barely controlled bloodlust… The sight was extremely unnerving… Their backs were bent, making themselves small, presenting the least surface for attack… There was no haste in their movement… they were sure of their kill… This might be the only advantage he had…

As he looked at them over his shield, he noticed that they had no weapons, but some had the same metal claws as the beast he had already slain, and some had a kind of metal harness on their tails… their main two weapons?

They were only three metres away now… Link feinted a lunge by very quickly shifting his weight and twitching his shield forward, just to gauge their reactions. They stopped, though neither instantly, nor orderly. The leftmost one, the largest, only halted when it noticed that the others had. They twitched and snarled, scraping against the ground… some were visibly itching to finally dash at him, sink their claws into his neck, while others were just a tiny bit more cautious… occasionally one hissed at its neighbour in frustration! A grim, humourless little smile twitched on the corners of his mouth… these things were no coordinated pack of hunters, they were individual predators, banded loosely together by some greater force, possibly against their instincts. If he could somehow pick them off one by one, shatter their frail cooperation for a few moments, he might have a chance… If he could not, there was little doubt how this would end… The tiny grin ended abruptly… Whatever happened, they would not get to her… that was a resolution as unbreakable as the mountains above and the ground below.

In a split second decision, before they had a chance to rally, he kicked at the ground towards the largest monster, hoping there was enough loose gravel or sand between the cobbles to make for little projectiles. It was an obvious provocation, not meant to cause harm, but these things were too stupid to understand such tactics.

A few tiny pebbles pattered against its feet… it had already seemed like the biggest aggressor, the one most likely to break formation.

It twitched, hissed while baring its teeth… Link steeled himself.

He barely had enough time to yank his shield up before the claws were at his throat. Goddess, these things were fast! He could hear the metal crunch into the wood, jolting his arm so viciously he felt a stinging pain in his shoulder. Without hesitation he ripped his right arm to the side to make room for a vertical swing of his sword, aiming for its long, extended arms. Only mid attack did he see the approaching danger… the creature had already twisted its body to whip its scaled tail at him from the left. He couldn't defend, he had to go through with his attack! He had to disable it as fast as possible!

His steel, fuelled by the strength of his anger and desperation, sliced through the Lizalfos' arms, drawing a ear-piercing screech from it. An instant later he felt the impact on his stomach, a sharp, searing pain and enough force to make him reel for a split-second… almost long enough for the worst to happen!

A second one, lured by the first one's sudden assault, had dashed forward, quick as a viper, and was nearly upon his right side. Twisting his whole body, Link slammed the rim of his shield into the rapidly approaching claws while using the same motion to decapitate the recoiling first attacker with his blade. The second one hissed in frustration or pain, then screamed when Zelda's rapier snaked past his arm and into the beast's narrow torso. Her quick and accurate jab gave him just enough time to complete his heavy swing and hack into its disgusting head with a sickening crunch, ending its life.

All this in the course of two seconds at max…

He immediately returned to his defensive position, shielding her as much as possible. The other, more cautious creatures had twitched forward, but to Link's immense relief had halted their charge when they saw how poorly it had gone for their two comrades.

It had nearly ended in catastrophe for him as well! Despite all he had heard, he had been completely taken aback at just how bloody fast these monsters moved and it had nearly cost him everything! They zigzagged over the ground as if they weighed nothing! …but judging by how easily he had stopped the initial assassin flying right at him, they probably really were extraordinarily light.

It _had_ cost him something… He gritted his teeth… the pain from his left side was only now beginning in earnest and got worse every time he breathed. And that had only been an unarmoured whipping… he didn't want to encounter such an attack from one that wore that metal harness.

Breathing seemed harder than before… Fuck… he hoped he hadn't cracked a rib… he now had to try and end this quickly, but without being hasty… Easier said than done…

Four left… and a trick like he had just used wouldn't work again. But he had leaned two things: They were not very creative in their attacks, using mostly their claws, and, most importantly, the way their dangerous tails moved would allow only two of them to assault them at once, lest they swiped at each other.

There was a real chance! They really could survive this! He hadn't wanted to admit it, but he had almost been convinced that he would shake death's hand on this day…

Without any warning two of them charged, claws primed for the kill. He was not going to give it to them!

The right one changed tactics at the last moment, whipping his metal tail in a wide, brutal arc, while the other continued to aim for his throat.

Link stepped forward to lessen the tail's momentum when it hit his shield, while making a deflecting, outward motion with his sword, pushing the left creature's talons to the side. The impact on his wooden defence was brutal, but he had been ready for it. Bringing both his arms back together in front of him with a pain-filled grunt, he smashed the shield's rim into the right thing's face and sliced across the left's throat. For an instant he felt like doing a triumphant whoop… but then disaster hit. By doing this one step forward, he had just barely walked out from under the roof… where an eighth monster waited. He heard it jump while seeing the two remaining ones charge. Maybe, possibly, he could dive to the side to avoid the danger from above, but… then they would be upon _her_! And the one he had smashed his shield into was far from dead, just dazed… One tiny instant had turned the tides from hopeful to almost certainly doomed.

He heard her gasp when she noticed the clawed hands from above… He gritted his teeth in a demonic grimace. His skin turned cold, as did his thoughts.

 _They will not get to her!_

Roaring in newfound rage, he swung his sword in a violent arc, slicing cleanly through the dropping creature's skull as if it were butter.

The others were upon him before he could bring his blade around. One snaked around him and clambered onto his back, only missing the nape of his neck because he rolled forward, flattening the thing under his weight, screaming as its nails dug into his back instead.

Dark fury and monstrous bloodlust let him forget the pain and promised great strength, but something in him recoiled… some last shred of sanity hung on to the edge of the chasm of mindless, murderous madness, afraid to lose himself completely.

The two others came at him without relent, using their incredible speed to make quick, glancing attacks, then retreat immediately before he could riposte. The third one that he had rolled over recovered quickly and joined the endless barrage of sharp swipes and hissing whips from all sides that he was only barely able to deflect. His rapidly failing defence cost him all his remaining energy… even if he found an opening, he wouldn't be able to swing his weapon quickly enough to make it count. He might move with unreal speed, fuelled by this enigmatic power that came to his aid at times of great peril, but it just wasn't enough…

His lungs burned, his whole body cried for oxygen. Every moment now he would feel the harsh sting of a claw that his increasingly blurry mind had sensed too late… then he would fall. He hoped that Zelda had used the few seconds he had bought to flee… all three remaining Lizalfos were focused solely on him.

A particularly vicious tail-whip knocked his sword out of his fingers that he almost couldn't feel anymore. In a last, desperate effort he rammed shield first into the closest beast, knocking it to the ground. Link lifted his shield up to ram its edge into the hissing monster's throat, expecting the other two to strike him down… maybe she could defend herself against the last remaining ones… it was his only hope.

The heavy wood crashed down, obliterating his enemy's windpipe with a satisfying, wet crunch. He tried turning around, but his strength failed him. One claw knocked his shield away, a tail he hadn't even seen smacked into the side of his head, robbing him of his vision as lightning seemed to cross in front of his eyes.

This was it. His mind turned dark…

An ear-piercing scream cut through the numbness in his head like hot steel.

 _Zelda… NO!_

An instant later he saw only light and felt a strange, friendly heat on his skin. The creatures around him wailed in surprise or even pain.

"LIIINK!" she screeched, so much pain and despair shrilling in her voice that it twisted his stomach to a knot. Another wave of heat hit his body, strangely calming, like a soft caress of a summer breeze… or, weirdly… her soft touch…

Fighting through the almost overpowering urge to give in to exhaustion, he reopened his eyes… slowly his vision returned… Hazily he could see one of the foul creatures clutching at its eyes, twisting and shaking and squealing as if in great anguish. Whatever she had done to render it so helpless, he thought grimly, he would not hesitate to end its suffering. Gathering the pathetic remains of his strength he lurched back up, whipping the knife his father had gifted him out of its sheath. The monster noticed him, flicking its tail at him blindly, but Link no longer cared. He would end this, right now. The weak lashing glanced off of him without even slowing him. He grabbed the vile thing's horn and, almost lovingly, carved the razor sharp knife across its throat. Dark, hot blood gurgled from the gash, the monster twitched and writhed… he let it drop, caring for it no longer.

One to go. He turned, slow and careful so he wouldn't fall. There it was, in a similar state as its brother…

Now that his eyes had recovered, he saw tiny wisps of smoke rising from its side… its scales were seared, the flesh beneath them screaming red.

He had no mind to think about it now. He lumbered over, limbs leaden, head foggy… It tried to scratch him, a pitiful last attempt at fighting the inevitable. He grabbed its sluggish arm, at least to him it seemed sluggish, and with little more than a gentle squeeze he felt bones shatter and grind to dust. The thing screeched in pain one last time, then, with a quick motion, he stuck the blade through the underside of its head all the way up into its brain. It crumpled instantly, all its weight now resting on his arm… it weighed nothing to him.

He pulled out his father's dagger, meant to put it back into its sheath, but by now his hands trembled so much that he missed and dropped the blade. No matter… only one thing mattered.

Turning around painfully slowly he saw her, kneeling a little way off. His vision had gotten so blurry, he couldn't really tell, but… something told him that she was unhurt. That was good…

She looked at him, wide eyed, her mouth slightly open… his groggy mind told him he probably looked a complete mess…

His legs gave out… someone caught him… said something that he didn't understand, but… it was her voice… That was good too…

The last thing he remembered before he lost consciousness was thinking how spectacularly her eyes shone in the dark…


	42. Chapter 41

Chapter 41

To say that this journey was getting on her nerves would be an almost criminal understatement. The last couple dozen kilometres she had been forced to travel on horseback! Her! Forced to sit on one of these recalcitrant, odorous animals like some sort of vagabond!

True, some of her misfortune might have been, in part, due to her bad habit of losing her temper, but… this was verily unacceptable! And so was this dump, this pigsty of an inn that continued without fail to provide insult after insult to all her sensorium.

Bland, overcooked food, a bare, dark, tiny chamber with an uneven straw-mattress and a sickening smell of sweat and unwashed bodies… and that infernal noise the 'people' around her were making, their nearly unintelligible grunts and burps that they, for some reason, insisted was a proper language! They were so very similar to the creatures they feared and hated and they didn't even realize it in their simplicity. If she weren't forced to be in their midst this evening, it would almost be funny…

"'ey, lady! I'm talkin' to ye!" something hollered from her left. The only reason she had chosen to take a seat at the disgustingly sticky bar was mild curiosity for these near-animals that would soon be at their rightful place under her feet, once her Lord was finally free. As she looked at the barely conscious something that dared addressing her, she thought, not for the first time, that 'soon' couldn't come soon enough.

She eyed the man, bald, bearded and flabby, like she would an insect on the road. He did, however, have the kind of oft broken visage of someone who was no stranger to dealing out lethal amounts of beatings… disinterested, she turned back to her watery drink.

"Now, don' be like that, luv! I just wanna have a little talk, 's all!" he slurred. A tiny droplet of his spit landed a centimetre off her hand… She eyed it critically, debating whether she should give in to her rising temper or avoid further attention.

She should have known, which annoyed her even further. She had grown tired of the prickly looking, dark haired beauty she had been until yesterday and had found something new that had roused her appetite. A well endowed red-head who had travelled with her father, or her older husband, or her keeper, she didn't care which. The girl had tickled her fancy with her dewy-eyed innocence and robust physique, so she had taken them. Naturally, she couldn't allow a doppelgänger of herself to walk around, though…

She enjoyed her new appearance, but it had a great disadvantage… it drew attention. Fire-red hair, a big cleavage and looking barely sixteen? And travelling alone? Few men in a doss house like this would be able to resist… or would want to.

"Come on, girl! No harm in a bit of talkin'! Don' be rude now!" the drunk spluttered, working himself up into anger.

Ah yes, she thought grimly… how often she had heard talk like that from men like this… Old memories threatened to boil to the surface, quickening her heartbeat and turning her stomach cold… but she repressed them. They were memories of a weak, foolish girl, someone she had only contempt for. They were not hers. They would not define her.

Instead she let the drunkard's blunt, churlish attempts fuel her hate… which in turn fuelled her own lust. But she doubted her type of lust was what he had in mind.

She looked up, briefly catching the wan, sorrowful look of the bar-maid, indicating that she knew how this would end, hinting that she knew it from personal, painful experience. She gave the worthless girl a mirthful grin, completely devoid of any compassion or kindness. 'Watch and learn!'

Turning to the sex-hungry dog stinking of cheap beer to show him the nastiest smirk her new face could produce, she felt her blood-flow quicken in her veins.

"Tha's better, girl! Now how's about it you come over'n sit on my lap so we can talk proper?" he warbled, a predatory smile showing his yellow teeth. She nearly giggled… any sane man would have tucked tail and run at the sheer power of her bloodlust in her eyes, but this guy was simply too drunk to notice… which was going to make this even more delicious!

As gentle as a butterflies wing and as accurate as a cut of her knife she touched his consciousness, making him, in the confines of his mind, the strongest man who ever lived, imparted the firm knowledge that none of these cretins around could hold a candle to his splendour. It was laughably easy to find the right tiny levers in this simple mind of his, especially when the alcohol helped her manipulations take form. A quick look of befuddlement crossed his face when the unexpected realization hit him that he was just about the finest stud to walk the face of the earth. Now, you newborn 'hero', let's give you some foes to smite! Diabolical glee and anticipation boiled within her as she turned to the people sitting at their tables. She let a look of pitiful despair twist her features. "Please! Won't anybody help me?!" she whined, making her voice particularly girlish and terrified.

There it was, she thought… that pained look on their worthless faces, of knowing that they should do something… the men felt their withered chivalry stir while the women wallowed in what they laughably called sympathy… some, she sensed, had been covertly watching her being accosted, it was clear as day on their guilty expressions… and neither of these useless, pitiful cowards, slaves to the illusion that there was such a thing as justice, would have lifted a finger if she hadn't spoken up. Even now, they probably wouldn't, the despicable, callous…

"You there! Leave the girl alone, you hear?" an angry shout rang through the room. Mildly surprised, she saw a big lad rising up, hardly older than 19, a few wisps of blonde hair on his chin and apparently more courage than was healthy for him. She could barely contain a mirthful cackle. That would be most enjoyable… a duel between young and strong, and experienced and ruthless.

"You get your fuckin' arse back on that chair 'fore I put you ina grave, boy!" her wannabe rapist snarled, clandestinely fingering something hidden in his jacket. Oooh, this was going to be even more interesting than she had hoped! She had to even the playing-field, though…

"Now listen 'ere you fat fuck!" the young man growled and stomped close, almost dragging his two friends with him who desperately tried, and failed, to hold him back, fearing confrontation. They even remained standing around their table, staring numbly, instead of joining their colleague, the cravens. "Get away from there right now, or…"

He didn't get further.

The older man jumped up as soon as the lad was in range and, with the admirable ruthlessness of an experienced brawler, started boxing and kneeing him in all the places that had the most painful effect. The youth, green and honourable, could barely react, so sudden and brutal was the onslaught. He staggered and fell back. When the aggressor made attempts to stomp on him with the same reckless violence, the crowd was finally roused from their cowardly stupor. It took five men to get her 'strongest guy alive' away from his victim.

Now, to spring the trap.

She darted to her 'hero', all admiring concern and kneeled beside his battered body, his face already starting to swell up. With amazing sleight of hand she conjured one of her blades into his hands. It only took a tiny nudge to his enraged consciousness for him to believe that it was his own, that he had drawn it himself to avenge his honour.

"YOU'RE LUCKY THAT YOU'RE BREATHING, YOU HEAR ME BOY?!" the brawler roared, slowly stopping his struggle against the many arms that held him back.

"Get the fuck away from me, you fuckin' wankers, or you'll get the same roughin' up." he hissed at the crowd, managing to break free from their grasp.

The boy, somewhat rallied from the beating he just took, used this moment to jump up and stick him with the thin little blade. The man cried out in pain, the people gasped in shock… she smiled in rapture.

"YOU FUCKING…" the injured man screamed to her surprise. Apparently the inexperienced lad had completely botched his attack and the only thing he had caused was pain… a mistake that would cause his death. She bit her lip in anticipation of the show that would follow.

A feisty old workman tried to re-grab her bleeding rapist, realizing what would come next. But the brawler ripped out his own weapon, a nasty looking punching dagger and almost casually stabbed his gut, just to get him off.

Well, she thought excitedly… we really do have a killer in our midst!

In the blink of an eye she dispelled the tiny manipulation on the lad's mind, removing the blind rage with it. The look that formed on his young face, the horror at finally realizing what he had just done, the confusion at where he had gotten a knife and the terrible understanding that he was doomed when he saw his opponent turn back towards him… it was a thing of beauty.

With a pained grunt, the shorter man stepped forward, grabbed the stunned youth's collar and began ramming his dagger into his gut, over and over and over until he finally collapsed in a bloody heap, breathing raggedly, still too shocked to even scream.

The aghast silence lasted an eternity, only interrupted by our murderer's panting as he held his bleeding side. Then hell broke loose…

Men and women screamed and shouted inane expletives. Some backed away slowly from the bloodied man with the wild eyes; some ran outside, moronically shouting for guards at an inn surrounded by nothing but wilderness for hours.

The dying lad's little friends were frantically yelling his name and shaking his limp body as if they could simply will it back to health. One of them noticed her thin, wicked knife still clutched in his hands and stared at it in utter bafflement. She could no longer stifle her deeply amused giggling when the idiot grabbed it and stormed at the wheezing killer, wailing a pitiful, boyish battle cry. His colleague's "NO!" came much too late… With speed she wouldn't have thought the wounded man capable, he twisted to the side and rained another flurry of stabs on the second lad, completely without finesse but delightfully brutal and remorseless. When he was done with his second victim he gave a heartfelt curse and made for the exit.

The bar became silent… the only sound to be heard was the third boy's impotent sobbing and her barely contained laughter as she was reclining on the nearest chair. The smell of fresh blood tickled her nose, the carnage on the floor was a marvellous tableau of vivid red… She had denied herself the pleasure of the kill, but watching these cattle disembowel themselves at her behest was delicious in its own right.

She noticed the trail of blood leading to the door… For a moment she wondered whether this loose end deserved to be tied up. He had annoyed her initially, true, but in the end he had provided such merriment… she decided he was going to live until his wound would poison him from within.

Slowly she stood up and meandered over to the second corpse. He was still breathing, barely. It had always fascinated her how long a body clung to life, even when it was hopeless. She bent down to pick up her dagger, just as the only survivor of the trio was losing the content of his stomach. She could kill him too, of course, just for dessert, but then she would rob him of reliving this haunting memory for years to come, always questioning what he could have done differently… She liked that far better.

Still chuckling to herself, she walked upstairs to her room and fell asleep with a satisfied grin. Tomorrow she would finally reach the goal of this gruelling journey… and now she was in the right mood for it.

* * *

Zelda

The last few hours were a blur of hectic activity with little to no time to think… a luxury that was now, sadly, over.

When Link had fallen unconscious in her arms, bleeding from multiple vicious looking wounds… for a few helpless moments there had been this unspeakable cold inside her that seemed to have gripped her heart in its icy tendrils… and darkness had seeped into her soul like black, poisonous swamp-water into a pristine pond. Her thoughts had been empty, her emotions had been empty… this unfathomable void had threatened to consume her whole being as she thought that she was seeing him die… as she thought that she had lost him…powerless… useless…

She couldn't say how long she had sat there clutching his body –minutes? Hours?- terrified that she might notice that he had grown cold already… and all the while this fell hollowness drained her spirit, leaving nothing but black desolation.

Thank all three for infinity that the city guards had arrived when they did… it took a while for her mind to return, for their words to make sense, for her to understand that they were the help he needed… and that nothing was lost yet. Their presence, their activity had enabled her to pull herself back from the abyss… It had probably only been a few panicked seconds, now that she thought about it, but… it had seemed like an eternity at the time.

…what if she really had lost him?... Would the darkness that, for this terrible, endless moment had her soul in an iron grip, have pulled her under until all light was snuffed?

No. Enough! She would not think like this, no matter how hard it was! She would not be some useless, frightened wretch who made herself insane with headless, grieving inaction… which was, admittedly, made harder by the fact that she had run out of things to do. For the tenth time she made sure that her sleeping Link wasn't burning with fever, checked that his breathing was still unlaboured and in the end smoothened every crease on his bed, just so she had something, anything, to do.

When her mind had finally started working again, she hadn't wasted time to explain what had occurred, careful to divert attention from the subject of why they had abseiled from their room into the back alley when there was danger afoot. She had mentioned en passant that the man who had just rid their city of these creatures was also a knight-aspirant… looking back, there had been no need. The men and women of the guard, although grudgingly, had been most impressed, as they bloody well should be! Of course, there had been those who made scoffing remarks how one boy slaying eight Lizalfos was simply ridiculous, but… well, they did it in the face of rather compelling and gory evidence and without any other theories on offer. In the end, the straightforward, honest soldiers had made it a matter of their pride that this fascinating boy was kept safe… they had almost formed an impromptu parade as they carried him back to the barracks, their faces grim and their postures wary. While technically he had dented their ego, these good people were now determined that no further harm should befall the brave boy and, to a swelling feeling in her chest, the word 'hero' was uttered more than once.

As she had jogged next to his gurney, hardly able to watch her feet because she always had to make sure he was still looking alright, she had been thankful that, in all the confusion, no-one had questioned her presence. Zelda hadn't, so far, needed to reveal her true identity, but wouldn't hesitate for a second to do so if it meant better treatment for him. To hell with secrecy, if it stood in her way to seeing him healthy again!

She couldn't say whether it was her well trained air of command or the chaos ensuing from a monster attack in the middle of the town, but she had even entered the inner circle of the barracks before someone thought to challenge her being there. Some young officer had had nothing better to do than to attempt barring her way and tell her that "her help will no longer be necessary". The conceited peacock found out very quickly that he had made a grave error in his choice of words. And tone. And general location.

It was a good thing that the commander of the garrison had arrived when he did… he had to practically pull her off the suddenly very small-seeming man, who was as pale and sweaty as if he had just faced a wild lioness. Before she let herself be escorted towards the sick bay, she had thrown the thoroughly deflated buffoon a last, withering glance and had greatly, if secretly, enjoyed the noticeable flinch that had almost made him fall backwards.

The commander, Sir Rahn, had been somewhat amused at the fifteen year old girl ripping a twice as old and twice as heavy soldier to whimpering shreds. She could also read deep concern in his shrewd eyes, even though he tried to hide it from his men and her. He had, of course, immediately understood that she was nobility, based on the fiery diction she had just employed… something she silently scolded herself for. Regardless, the senior knight had very politely suggested that she remain away from the sickbay, as she might not want to see, or hear, what needed to be done. Zelda had equally politely told him that she respected his opinion and that he could sod off with it. 'There was no way in hell', she had explained to him, 'she would leave his side now, when he hadn't left hers in the face of great peril!' She could have said a thousand things more… how impossible it would be not to share the difficult times when she so enjoyed the good ones… how her heart-constricting guilt wouldn't allow her to leave him out of his sight when his injuries were caused because she couldn't bloody protect herself… how they would have to chain her to a wall in order to prevent her from comforting the boy she loved… She had felt her eyes tear up as had she stared into the calm eyes of Sir Rahn, hoping he would understand…

A tiny smile had formed on the man's face, soft but pitying. "Very well, my lady…" he had sighed. "I shall accompany you. Follow me! And… please try not to crush the spirit of any more of my men." Grinning in a tiny bit of shame, but mostly in relief she had walked after him into the infirmary.

Inside she was greeted by the sharp smell of antiseptic, which immediately evoked the dreadful episode on the road back to Hyrule… so many dead, even more injured… but one she had brought back, somehow… She sent a silent prayer to the heavens that he wasn't in such a bad shape that his survival depended on her most unreliable… talent, this magic she had hardly any control over. Another thoroughly unwanted flash of memory hit her… the utter, mind-breaking fear when she had seen Link fall, her own sword lying uselessly metres away from when she had made a pitiful attempt at attacking one lizard from behind and it had almost casually swiped it away with its tail… When all had seemed lost and that shriek of desperation had escaped her… once again this light had broken forth from her, frightening her with its power… The moment after… Link, eyes closed, pain on his features, lying nearly motionless and… the things… clutching at their eyes, whimpering pathetically in pain… the throat-scratching stench of their scorched scales, burned to a crisp in just a brief flash… of her doing…

The memories had twisted her stomach so much she had to stop walking for a second. "Don't be ashamed to turn back, my lady. Absolutely no-one would think any less of you…" the commander had said kindly, but she had shaken her head fiercely and bit the inside of her cheek to pull herself back into the now. This was not up for debate! Even if her stomach were to turn on her, even if she were to feel faint and nauseous, it was nothing compared to what he had to endure. And she would never forgive herself if he woke up, pained and confused, and she wasn't there to tell him that everything would be alright… goddess, please let everything be alright!

Digging her fingernails into her palms to combat the dizziness, she had soldiered on. Through a curtain Zelda and her concerned guide had entered the operating theatre. Link had been there and she had felt herself go pale. He was lying there, on his stomach, still unconscious, thank the Three. They had removed his shirt, probably just cut it open and the rags the soldiers had hastily provided and pressed onto the wounds to staunch the blood-flow were now completely soaked. She couldn't yet see the injuries themselves, but she knew she had to… and she dreaded it to no end… Not because of a fear of gore, but… because of who had them… and why.

"And who are you?" a gruff voice had asked. She had wrenched her gaze away from Link and had seen who could only be the surgeon, a wiry, clean shaven man, looking at her expectantly… clearly someone who tolerated no nonsense when it was about his work, which Zelda wholeheartedly supported.

"I'm his girlfriend." She had answered, annoyed at how quavery she sounded… but then again strangely pleased at how easily, how readily these words passed her lips. "I…"

"You want to stay? Don't touch anything and stand far enough away that we can always walk around the table unhindered. Were you there when he was attacked?" he had asked curtly while washing and scrubbing his hands thoroughly.

"I was." She had replied, just glad that she didn't have to have another argument.

"The lad fought against eight of them, Rask… and won!" the commander had supplied, looking at her prone, helpless boy with worried eyes. "Do fix him up, will you? I wish to thank him in person… and ask him what the bloody hell he was thinking."

The doctor had looked up briefly at the mention of the number Link had faced and nodded grimly. "Then he did the world a great bloody service, that young man. And the wounds aren't what concerns me… it's what's in them. You!" he growled and lifted his chin at Zelda because his hands were busy preparing his instruments, one looking more fearsome than the next. "The Lizalfos that scratched him, were its claws bare or of steel?"

She had been momentarily taken aback and apparently her face showed.

"It is important, because…" the man continued more mildly, apparently realizing that he had startled her with his tone. "these abominations carry many diseases under their claws. If the thing that did this was unarmed, I will have to alter the therapy, cut away the tainted flesh, because else the wound _will_ get infected. If you were to know that they wore their steel enhancements, I may just disinfect and suture it."

The explanation had made sense, but her mind had immediately tormented her with vivid imaginations of the vile filth these beasts had crawling under their nails, which might now be in his body… and the images of having to cut him even deeper… and him waking up during it from the pain… her stomach roiled and she wanted so much to sit down… all sound suddenly became dull and far away…

"Lairy, a chair for her! She's about to collapse! Quickly now!" the surgeon had commanded the nurse, who was very quick to grab a stool for her to sit on and gently pressed Zelda down on it, cooing calm words. After a moment, the world stopped spinning and regained its colour… and good goddess, she felt embarrassed!

"I apologize." the physician muttered while looking at her concernedly. Judging by the nasty looks his two nurses shot him, they thought he hadn't nearly explained himself enough. "I shouldn't have asked you that… it was cruel of me to burden you with this… But when I see shit like this…" he pointed at Link, "…happening to someone so young, my blood comes to a boil. Think no more of it, my lady, I will…"

"No! I am fine…" She had insisted, despite her obviously being not. She swallowed, bracing herself. "Allow me a few moments to collect my thoughts…" The man looked like he was about to protest, but then thought better of it and nodded.

Clenching her jaw, she had attempted to return to this terrifying moment in an already dread-filled scene… The snarling and grotesque wriggling of the monsters, Link's incredibly fast movements… the stinging pain in her mind when he had been hit by the tail, and then… As if she was brutally yanked backwards by her head the vision unfolded, the memory so fresh and so rife with crystal clear fear that it was still burning white hot in her mind. Her already exhausted body was forced to relive the immense tension, her heart quickening until it was hammering in her throat, her skin forming cold sweat on her back… The smell of blood got even more intense, enhanced by the foul gore of the already slain beasts lying in the street. Every fibre in her screamed for her to stop, to not force this nightmare upon herself a second time, but there was no crack in her determination, no matter how miserable she felt. If there was the slightest chance of saving him from further harm, how could she possibly stop at the first sign of discomfort?

She gritted her teeth and dug her fingernails painfully into her thighs… she saw him make that fateful step forward that had put him in harms way. The heart-stopping scare she got when vicious claws appeared from above, aimed directly at him with unavoidable speed, was as intense as the first time, despite her knowing how it ended… or maybe, because she did… Her mind slowed the scene for her, enabling her to see more clearly, but also take in all the more gruesome details… the ever so slightly off way Link moved, betraying how pain made him favour his right side… the utterly horrible certainty she sensed in his mind that he was going to die… but also the fascinating, infinitely honourable resolve to fight to the last… for her… She had to fight back her tears…

There it was! The moment she had to see! He had already slain the foe from above and the creature, quick as the lash of a whip, snaked around his body to climb his back… Please, goddess, let it be one that…

Yes! Yes, for a few instants she could see it completely clearly! Metal claws that went over its real ones! There was no need for hurting him any more!

So great was her joy, her relief, her urgency to tell the physician of her discovery that she managed to instantly dispel her vision, something that she rarely managed… usually she was forced to see it all, experience the torment until it decided to stop, but this time, thank the goddess, it had mercy… she hadn't been forced to relive the beast sinking its murderous claws into his flesh, hear his scream, feel his pain reverberating in her mind.

"The claws were covered…" she finally said when she was sure that reality had her back. The surgeon looked at her, momentarily nonplussed. He had frozen as he was about to remove the bloodied bandages from Link's back. A mix of thoughtfulness and slight doubt played on his features for a good ten seconds. "You were there… I was not. I will not doubt you, as I see the sincerity in your eyes… But I have to repeat: We have to be absolutely sure… or this young man will die of his infected wounds." He spoke calmly, his face betraying his deep regret at having to ask this responsibility of her.

Zelda knew that she could back out… she could say that she couldn't be that certain and they would all understand. The doctor would cut away the margins of Link's wounds and his survival would be assured. Her breath nearly caught in her suddenly extremely dry throat, for doubt was, as ever, her constant, loathsome companion.

…but… Not only did she wish to spare him this undoubtedly monstrous pain so much her heart ached, but she even had the means to do it! Only her, with this talent that had caused her so many sleepless nights with the terrors it showed her without ever being summoned, could ever be this sure. Thanks to her vision, she had seen… but how far could she trust these phantasms that, despite living with them her whole life, defied any explanation? Was she willing to risk his life, just because she was a freak?

…Then again… Why couldn't this power, just for once, be used to help someone already so inseparably woven into her soul?

"I am positive." she whispered as her stomach cramped painfully in all her nervousness. Her visions had never been false, but… she had always been certain they were a curse. They had only ever been a well of misery for her… be it the lack of understanding from her father, the alienation of other children when she had one of her 'episodes'… or just seeing scenes of brutality and death whenever they were mentioned by others. She had never looked at these images closely, they had always frightened her too much. But lately… lately new powers had awoken… useful ones… she had saved her entourage by banishing the darkness, hadn't she? She had healed one of her soldiers, hadn't she? Maybe these talents she inexplicably had were not born of some evil taint or hateful wish, as she had always feared… Impa had called her 'the Light'… Maybe it was time she learned how to use that mysterious light which appeared to slumber within her…

The physician gazed at her, looking deeply into her eyes, obviously fighting his doubts, which, Zelda had to admit, were completely justified. She held his gaze, hoping against all common sense that he would believe her enough to risk the more conservative treatment… which, if she were wrong, meant that his patient's life was forfeit… and it would be on his hands.

She couldn't say what it was… some hidden sincerity in her eyes that she couldn't feel herself for it was overshadowed by doubt, or maybe just his deep wish to believe her so he wouldn't have to cause more pain… but the man's concentrated frown mellowed to a point where he looked almost… awed…

He nodded, both to her relief and her gut-wrenching fear… Link's death would be on her too…

"I find myself believing you… Let us hope that we're both right, my lady…" he muttered softly, still with that oddly fascinated look in his eyes.

Then, as if some spell had suddenly ended, the surgeon switched back to full concentration on his patient. The whole conversation had only taken a minute and a half, maybe two… but it had felt endless, seeing his naked, unmoving body lie face down, hurt and helpless, while she could do nothing… "Lairy, we begin. Be ready with pledget and thread. Do we have poppy-milk ready?" he asked curtly.

"Yes, doctor. Has he gotten anything yet?" the woman with the kind eyes asked as she finished affixing some odd looking threads to hooked needles.

"Sadly no… he came in unconscious. Be ready for him to wake up!" he announced grimly. Zelda's stomach turned and she had to swallow sour spit back down… but come what may, she would not leave! Never!

With extreme care, doctor Rask removed one of the blood-soaked rags from his back. On one point it was stuck with coagulated blood, so he had to pull it away and re-staunch the blood flow. Link twitched when the wound was re-opened and so did Zelda… she was just about to rush towards him, to calm him, to comfort him, to do _anything_ … but he didn't wake up…

Fear and uncertainty grew ever stronger the more deep red swabs the doctor pulled away and discarded. Hadn't he lost too much blood? What if the bleeding couldn't be stopped? Why wasn't he waking up when cotton swabs were surprisingly forcefully pressed into his wounds? Could he no longer wake up? Was he too far gone already?

A thousand thoughts raced through her mind, each more devastating than the last. Desperate for anything to do, she constantly tried to see that he was still breathing, despite knowing that two far more experienced pairs of eyes were doing just that from a better perspective. She couldn't see his wounds now, the nurse's back was in the way… On one hand she wanted to know, wanted to perceive what he, her saviour and so, so much more, had to endure for her. But then again… she had to admit that she was glad her vision was blocked.

"Alcohol!" the surgeon muttered, eyes focused on his patient. He was handed a large pledget that had up until now soaked in a tray of liquid.

Zelda had dreaded this moment… she would never forget the sting of medicinal alcohol from the time Saria had shoved her into that rosebush, something she still claims was an accident… She didn't even dare image how much fire it would inflict on wounds like his… she had seen the Lizalfos' claws and shivered thinking of the damage they could do. Zelda involuntarily tensed and dug her fingernails so deeply into her thigh that she thought she might have scratched herself bloody… not that she cared right now…

The alcohol drenched cloth touched open flesh. A vision of pain flashed through Zelda's mind, so intense that she gasped and twisted her back away from what felt like a white hot iron that she knew couldn't be there. An image before her eyes of his agonized awakening, his panic and terror, made her jump up and tear towards him, ignoring all sensible warnings.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw the surgeon's bafflement at her sudden reaction, but before he could so much as growl at her, Link's body heaved with a hoarse, pitiful groan that seemed to shake her to the core and made her shiver. Stumbling past the startled nurse who tried to keep her patient lying down, Zelda knelt down by his head.

"Keep him still! He's going to open his wounds again!" the doctor panted, nearly lying on him to keep him from jumping up.

On the verge of panic herself, she cupped both his cheeks, hoping her gentle touch might soothe him… a mistake!

Instantly his left hand grabbed her wrist and squeezed with terrible strength. His face swivelled towards hers, his eyes nearly mad with uncomprehending fear, his mouth a beastlike snarl of pain and primal rage, searching desperately for whatever causing him so much anguish… it nearly broke her heart. Ignoring the grinding of her bones in his grip to the best of her abilities, she stroked his cheeks and focused on keeping a calm voice. "Link… it's me. Your dumpling! I know it hurts, but you're safe! You don't have to fight! Please!" she whispered urgently. His eyes were trembling, his pupils maximally wide, showing the utter panic, the utter horror he must experience. Her stomach turned to a painful knot when she imagined it and it was all she could do not to cry out in overwhelming compassion and guilt at seeing him in such a state of distress. If anything his grip on her wrist got fiercer and tears shot into her eyes. She had to help him, she had to! She couldn't let him be so lost in terror, the thought alone caused her to sob in despair. She let her free hand travel to his hair, through which she brushed lovingly. "Link… my sweet knight… it's just me… your Zelda… you have already won! We're just treating your wounds… please let us!" she pleaded, most of her calm gone from her voice, replaced by soft crying.

At the sound of her own name his eyes seemed to finally find a bit of focus. His beautiful, deep blue orbs found hers and he looked at her with such desperation, as if she were the only salvation of a man drowning in a tempestuous sea of dread. Despite the screaming ache in her arm, she smiled at him and continued to caress him.

She looked in vain for understanding in his expression… too great were confusion and fear from being woken by liquid fire in his skin after collapsing from a near deadly battle. But slowly his features mellowed, his panic-widened eyes became smaller and calmer… he didn't understand… he couldn't understand, she knew… it was only her face, her voice and the bottomless, absolute trust that he placed in her… a trust that transcended even mindless panic, that went deeper than anything else. Hot, urgent feelings of love… Stifling, crippling guilt… So many feelings at once threatened to overwhelm her, but she kept them at bay so she could be his anchor. His grip had softened, was now little more than a search for stability. His gaze wavered, the dead tiredness he must have barely broken through had re-established his grip and pulled him back. Zelda hugged his head close to her and kissed his forehead. "Sleep, Link… you are safe… you are safe…" she repeated softly until she felt his muscles relax, felt his fear subside completely and sensed his mind back under the spell of a deep sleep.

A wave of emotion crashed over her when he was calm again through belief in her alone. She buried her face in his sweaty hair, sobbing uncontrollably, triggered by relief, the relentless, nagging feeling that she was to blame for all this and the dull pain in her hand. The unfair, disgusting but overpowering sense of guilt was only enhanced by the realization of just how deep, how strong his trust was…

It only lasted a few seconds, thank Nayru, before she found her composure again. She raised her head, sniffled softly, ashamed of this undignified outburst. She timidly looked at the surgeon, who was already back at work, but shot her a brief, appreciative glance. "Well done. Very well, actually… I think you brought calm back to his soul… even if he should wake again, I doubt he would start like this again…" he grumbled, a hint of approval in his voice. "You must be tired, my dear. Would you like to lie down? I promise you, we'll be fine now." he offered, losing his grumpiness for a few seconds, making him sound genuinely kind.

Goddess, she was so tired, she would hardly care if she had to sleep on the hard, tile floor right where she stood… but naturally, there could only be one answer.

"No… but thank you for the offer. I want to… I have to stay…" she said strongly, fighting sleep creeping into her head.

He nodded and returned to his work, leaving her to stand around, feeling terribly superfluous again. Her left hand was still on Link's head, combing through his hair absentmindedly… she hoped he could feel it even in his martyred slumber, could sense that she was still there, watching over him. Occasionally his face twitched and something within her with it… for a moment, she had experienced his pain as if it were her own, felt the skin on her back burning as if charred with the flame of a torch… She had always been good at sensing what others were thinking or even feeling, but with him it had taken a whole new dimension. It worried her a bit… but it also spoke of the connection between them, this wonderful union of two separate minds which, to her, was the sweetest experience imaginable.

If it meant a relief for him, she would gladly share his pain… maybe she could even make it go away? That magical light that had once again broken out of her when all hope had seemed lost, when he… had seemed lost… A freezing shiver coursed through her from her feet all the way to the roots of her hair… every time she had tried to think about what had happened, she just saw that world-shattering image of Link, lying motionless on his back, bleeding, with two evils only an instant away from sinking their claws in his throat… The fear, the panic and the utter desperation, that still made her heart race so much it hurt… the relentless visions of this one moment crippled her ability to think about what she had done… the only thing she knew, was that, somehow, she possessed the power of healing, but also of harming. While the wish to try and heal his wounds burned in her fingers, the memory of the two Lizalfos screaming and twitching in agony at their burned skin, and the resulting possibility of her dearest wish to help him backfire catastrophically, made her mouth dry and constricted her throat. When she thought about what might have happened when she had attempted to cure the soldier, Josy, two months ago she felt her hairs stand on end. This was not a risk she could afford to take lightly… not with so monumentally much at stake…

Zelda looked away from his face which even now hadn't lost its ability to mesmerize her. However, she made the mistake of looking directly at his back… and the surgeon's instruments _in_ it. Her stomach made an unmistakable growl of protest and she had to swallow heavily to keep everything down. All those nerves in her brain designed to keep her sane demanded that she look away, but she didn't permit herself. Goddess, these slashes looked so vicious and dreadfully, nauseatingly deep! And the entire skin around was of a furious red… Again that merciless feeling of guilt descended upon her with a force that nearly made her knees buckle. Part of her knew that it was simply wrong, a useless, nasty game her mind was playing on her that distorted everything… she was certain that Link would be appalled if he knew she even considered the possibility of him being resentful towards her because he was injured… but, sadly, that just made it worse.

…at least she hoped he wouldn't be angry or disappointed… he wouldn't show it, but… what if he was? What would she do? The thought chilled her to the bone…

Zelda shut her eyes and shook her head, getting increasingly mad at her own brain. Were there no depths her loathsome doubts wouldn't stoop to torture her? Could she not bloody focus on his health, for once, without turning the situation around so it revolved around her? After all, he had demonstrably been able to concentrate his entire energy for her benefit… could she not bloody do that too? Could it be that she was so selfish, so constantly preoccupied with her own needs that…

Again, she shook her head, scrunching up her face… that line of thinking was even worse… somehow she needed to break free of these cyclical thoughts, this vicious downwards spiral into madness and grief!

The answer was so obvious…

"Please let me do something… Anything!" she whined, startled at how pathetic and weepy she sounded. Pulling herself together with all the princess-like grace she could muster, she added: "I cannot just stand around! Allow me to help in some way, please!"

When both he and the nurse looked back up into her eyes, she could see he wanted to say something like "You've done enough, child.", but the look in her face let them pause. All her life she had sat by, whether it was a political discussion, a banquet, a peace-treaty… always just the jewel to be shown off, always there, never involved. In this though, her determination to break out of this future of passivity knew no bounds.

"Well, I…" the surgeon began, his doubts written clearly on his face. 'What could she be useful for?' It stung Zelda more than she cared to admit… mostly because she thought he was right. But in this, she wouldn't do what she had done so many times before… she wouldn't let her feelings of inadequacy stop her, or even bloody hinder her for even a second. She would not be reduced to inaction, would not sit idly by as others did all the work. She would help in some way, even if she had to mop the floor to do it!

"Can you make a salve, dear?" the nurse assisting the doctor suddenly asked. He looked at her, first a tad surprised, then with a loving appreciativeness that spoke of a much deeper relationship than just a professional one.

"I… in theory… I read about it…" Zelda replied timidly, feeling like a dolt. 'In theory' would be quite accurate to describe her whole existence, she felt… She had indeed read up on a lot of topics before they had left the capital, whatever had seemed useful at the time. A lot of medicinal methods had been memorized, but, as always, actually transforming theory into practice was where the real challenge lay. You couldn't afford to get it wrong…

"Oh, well…" the woman said, interest showing on her features. "This will be easy then! I'll talk you through the steps. The preparation table is right behind you. First, light the little cooker on it."

Zelda's heart jumped nervously at the sudden responsibility, but her determination did not waver. Reluctantly she moved away from Link, removing her protective hand from his head, to walk the two steps to the little table. Immediately she recognized a few of the ingredients she would need, though others were a mystery. Beeswax, some plant oil of unknown origin, a rack of tiny, corked flasks with beautifully coloured essences inside… Taking one of the wooden spatulas that lay ready, she carried a little flame from the tiny stove the nurse had used to disinfect some of the instruments and lit her cooker. Her hands trembled already, but more and more in the pleasant expectation of being able to do something useful… though she still was embarrassingly nervous.

Under the occasionally watchful eyes of either the surgeon or his assistant, she began, her heart thumping in her throat… just in time too! When she glanced over, the physician had just grabbed one of the needles for sewing up skin, and she felt nauseous thinking about that thing sinking into his flesh again and again… Arduously, she turned away her gaze and concentrated on the first step, melting the beeswax. "Gently, you don't need all that much heat! We don't want it to boil."

"I add this oil now, correct? What is it?" Zelda asked, finally losing herself in concentrated working, blinding out all pesky worries… though her constant glances to make sure Link was still alright did mess with her focus.

"Yes, about a third of that glass should do." the nurse answered, then the doctor mumbled without looking up "It's palm fruit oil. Not the easiest ingredient to get your hands on, but excellent for healing salves. Similar composition to blood, interestingly…"

"Palm fruit…" Zelda furrowed her brow. "I don't think I have ever heard about it being used like this…"

"The Gerudo are very keen on keeping everything remotely concerning their militia secret. The garrison buys the fruits, which we get thanks to our importance as trading post, and I make the oil myself." he explained.

Zelda wanted to ask a thousand more questions… it what way it was similar to blood, how its healing properties worked, how the oil was fabricated… but for now she contented herself with stirring the little pot of thick, greenish yellow paste.

"Now, reduce the heat and add a few drops of Hyrule Herb, Hearty radish and Ironshroom-essence. And never stop stirring!" The kind, older woman instructed.

"Errm…" the still nervous girl errm-ed, looking slightly lost at the unlabelled flasks.

"The very slightly pinkish one and the opaque grey one. Keep the Hyrule Herb!" he grumbled, shaking his head slightly with a disapproving expression. "Soldiers are always going on about its healing qualities, the superstitious lot! Mostly because their grannies told them some nonsense old wive's tales! Its abilities are completely overshadowed by the palm fruit!"

"Oh, hush, you!" the nurse chided with the patiently annoyed voice of someone who has heard the same lecture a hundred times already. "What the good doctor fails to mention is that Hyrule Herb has slight anaesthetic powers. Take the emerald green one too, dear!" Under the strict glare of his assistant, the 'good doctor' kept his peace with a plaintive, yet amused face.

Zelda nearly giggled, so desperate was she for even the tiniest trace of levity. And the fact that they both were rather relaxed told her that her sweet knight wasn't in immediate danger any more.

"Ironshroom keeps the rot away…" she recalled aloud, concentrating deeply on keeping her trembling hands steady while she added three drops of the grey and pink flasks. Of the Hyrule Herb she sneakily added four, hoping to strengthen the pain-relieving effect. "But radish?" she wondered. Such a common plant, present in many dishes, had such an impact on a healing ointment?

"Hearty radish, if done correctly, has very potent influences on the formation of granulation tissue and angiogenesis in the wound." the physician muttered as he was sewing. Then he paused, cleared his throat and continued. "Which means…"

"I understood." Zelda interrupted distractedly. "Wound repair is favoured, increasing the chance of primary closure."

The man's mouth hung open for a moment while his assistant seemed to wrestle with a giggling fit. "That's correct…" he finally mumbled, returning to his work.

All Zelda had left to do was check whether the cooled salve could be easily spread, or whether she needed to add a bit more oil to thin the wax. When she was reasonably pleased with her product, she flamed a thick glass jar to disinfect it and poured the paste in. It had a rather pleasant, tangy, natural smell… she hoped to all Three that the healthy scent didn't promise too much but actually worked…

Gingerly, she carried the still hot jar to the nurse's side table. One quick, stomach tugging glance revealed that the surgeon was just finishing the last stitches… It was the most stupid thought she could possibly have, she had to admit to herself, but she hated how the sutures marred Link's beautiful back…

"Mhm, that looks very promising, dear!" the woman approved with a genuine tone of voice.

They proceeded to treat the stitched wounds with a light cloth covered in Zelda's salve, then to swathe his whole torso with bandages. The queasy feeling girl helped where she could, trying to overcome her fear of touching his body, which stemmed from the irrational terror of causing additional harm.

"Don't be afraid, get a firm grasp, else you're no help!" the doctor ordered strictly. "A young man like him his very robust. Knowing the healing abilities of youth, he'll probably be up and about tomorrow evening, wondering what all the fuss is about… You'll see!" he added with a reassuring smile and a kind wink of both eyes.

"Soo… the wounds aren't that serious?" she timidly asked, trying not to once again conjure up the image of the bleeding, 15 centimetre long gashes.

"Once we staunched the blood-flow, no. They would have been, had they been infected by the Lizalfos' actual claw. We'd have had to leave them open until the infection was under control. Never, ever close a wound rent by a wild animal! And never cover up any injury in an air-tight way. The rot will multiply a hundredfold, if you make that mistake!"

Zelda saw the colour drain from the world and felt like she would keel over, but a sudden anger at her own weakness and the pain from biting into her own cheek counteracted it. Slowly doctor Rask's message sunk into her tired brain: The wounds weren't that bad and would heal, her Link would be fine. A gentle, sluggish wave of relief warmed her from within, dispelled the deathly cold of doubt and fear that had held her insides in an iron grip. Even this little bit of disappearing stress was enough to instantly make her eyelids twice as heavy and her mind go dull with fatigue.

"Don't worry, child, the worst is over. You can lie down and sleep, knowing he will be alright." the nurse cooed, apparently realizing that she could barely keep upright now.

Languidly, Zelda shook her head. "I want to be with him. I don't care where. I want to be there when he wakes." she mumbled, barely able to enunciate properly.

She couldn't remember what exactly happened after that… in the end, Link lay on a soft bed on his stomach, his face turned towards her, which she occasionally, gently caressed with her hands or her lips as she knelt beside him. Now that idle waiting once again had her in its grasp, the feelings of guilt began to fester within her anew… though to a lesser extent now, she still felt that, at its core, she was the reason that he had to endure all this. And there was no ending in sight! How often would he lie in her arms, bruised and bloodied and hurting, just so she could be unharmed? Tens more times? Hundreds? She knew she couldn't just fall apart every time, couldn't wallow in despair and guilt whenever he was injured. She knew if she couldn't help him during a battle, she at the very least had to be able to aid him afterwards. Whether it be by measures she could learn from people like Rask or Lairy… or more supernatural ones… For the hundredth time she cursed her past, how she had allowed herself to be reduced to this pointless, functionless gem on her father's hand, which now resulted in her having next to no practical skills. She needed to learn everything from scratch… and fast! The monumentality of this task and its importance forced her to the edges of panic…

A knock on the door interrupted her introspection, for which she was more than grateful.

It was the commander, Sir Rahn. "Still not sleeping, my lady?" he asked softly.

What could she say? A weak shaking of her head was his answer.

"Everything alright with your charge?" he questioned further with a kind little smile.

Zelda looked back at Link's now thankfully peaceful face. Even the deep feelings of affection, trust and love that whirled through her every time she gazed upon his handsome features were soured by her feelings of inadequacy.

"He's not waking up…" she mumbled pathetically. She knew it to be a stupid thing to say, but the words were out of her mouth before she could stop them… She wanted so much to see his eyes look into hers, to feel his touch on her cheek, to hear his voice tell her that everything would be alright… The burning need to see him waking from his exhausted, wounded slumber nearly brought her to despair.

"I know how you feel… but allow him to sleep for as long as he needs. A good, curing slumber can heal more than all the potions in the world…" the knight spoke softly.

Of course she wouldn't interrupt Link's hopefully dreamless suspension in unconsciousness… but it was hard… so very hard…

A few seconds passed without anyone saying anything. Then she heard the commander turn to leave.

"He is a very lucky man, your knight…" his voice sounded one more time.

Zelda gazed around to see his reassuring smile. She knew he meant it as a kindness, a compliment… The images of Link kneeling in a pool of blood, vomiting from exertion in the corridor leading away from the arena, of him being rammed by the hellish boar in the woods, of him being slashed by scaled assassins and of his anguished, terrified face when he had briefly woken up in the operations theatre… all flashed before her eyes, again and again, ever increasing in speed.

She turned her head back towards her sleeping boy, so the commander couldn't see her tears.

"I'm not so sure…" she replied, a tremble in her voice.

* * *

 **Very introspective chapter, this one… and pretty dark. But I do want to show that this is not just a whimsical fairy tale. Moods like this are not the focus of my story though, so don't worry… I think this is an important depiction of Zelda's mind though, showing how stressful being the 'protected' can be... and to see how deeply she cares.  
**

 **I apologize for the long wait, but the past two weeks I had a 25 hour shift almost every third day, which kinda murdered my motivation. This will continue until Thursday, then it'll get better… and, hopefully, so will my creative energy.**


	43. Chapter 42

Chapter 42

Zelda

Sleep had her limbs and mind girded in lead. She couldn't remember how long she had waked at the side of his bed, holding her breath every time he moved a muscle or gave a sigh… but in the end she had sunken into a blessedly dreamless slumber, her brain apparently too exhausted to torment her with the nightmares she had anticipated.

Instead it was her body that protested… She had sat on a wooden stool, resting her arms and head as close to him as possible for the entire rest of the night… Her lower back complained, her shoulders swore profusely and her bottom, frankly, wished her a painful death.

Still, every time she had briefly awoken, she had listened to his breathing for a few seconds before accepting sleep's pull once more. She was so, unbelievably tired… Through her eyelids she could perceive dim sunlight… she couldn't even remember that there had been a window in the small room they had brought them, so focused had she been on him.

Still, she doubted she had slept more than 4 hours… a slight headache thrummed between her temples… his breathing was still calm and deep… All reasons to go back to dreamlessness…

Tenderly, she rolled her shoulders, trying to soften her stiff muscles at least a tiny bit. Something she hadn't even felt till now slid off her head and came to rest on her neck… something heavy and warm…

She was wide awake in an instant and had to hold herself back with all her might from jumping up. Her eyes, blurrily at first, and burning, perceived his smooth, handsome face, so preciously close… just the way she left it. But… yes! There was no doubt! Although she could only feel it, the weight on the nape of her neck had to be his hand. It had been resting perfectly on her head! At some point, he must have woken up, had found her sleeping by his side and had decided to caress her, before falling back into slumber. The thought made her heart beat quicker, made her smile like a lunatic and threatened to force a mad giggling fit to break out of her belly. Despite her desires to laugh and wake him now bordered on the imperative, she quelled these selfish impulses… barely.

She absolutely could not, however, resist the temptation of moving just this tiny bit closer to let her lips brush ever so lightly against his… she really wanted to hug him to her so fiercely that his bones creaked, but for now, every little touch filled her with a calm she desperately sought.

Zelda thought about trying to fall asleep again with this wonderful, soothing closeness… her lips and nose just barely touching his, feeling the heat from his body on her face… Goddess, she was still so tired still… But no. Not only did she have to twist her neck in a really odd way to keep the contact, but she also had quite enough of lying around impassively, no matter how sweet it was. She already felt like a layabout, something that did not sit well with her in the least! As the sunlight kissed her and shone through her closed eyelids, feeling the reassuring weight of Link's hand on her, she decided to leave the terrible despair that had gripped her in the yesterday, where it belonged. Link had done his part admirably… and she would be damned if all she did with the time his sacrifice had bought her was moping around, feeling sorry for herself. Her hopeless behaviour of the previous night filled her with anger at herself! Enough anger to overcome the darker emotions that had plagued her and instead fill her with a zest for action. A time might come when there is no doctor so close… what then? Why in the world should Link continue to protect her at such a heavy cost, if she couldn't even do her due part and patch him back together? What she had seen yesterday still made her feel queasy, but… damn it all, it was her bloody duty to look after him, wasn't it? Of course it was! So she had to learn! And she wouldn't waste any damn time by lamenting her uselessness, but would instead do something about it!

But first… just 5 more seconds of her lips against his…

* * *

With great reluctance, and looking over her shoulder about thirty times, she had left the chamber he was sleeping in. Not only did nature call quite vigorously, but to follow her determination not to succumb to any dark thoughts that threatened to haunt her, she had to find a worthwhile activity or something to study.

The first problem had arisen upon the realization that she had absolutely no clue where she was… an unadorned stone corridor… somewhere… Last night she had been far too tired and preoccupied to care where she had put her feet. Luckily Zelda stumbled upon a female soldier with a splinted arm who pointed her in the right direction before any mishaps could occur.

As luck would have it, she ran right into Doctor Rask's arms as he was doing his morning round, checking on his patients.

"Good morning…" she greeted him, a tiny bit intimidated by his stern gaze.

"Morning." he grumbled, rubbing his eyes. Unsurprisingly, he seemed at least as tired as she felt herself… probably where his sour expression stemmed from… "I was just on my way to our mutual patient." he said with a lopsided little grin. Zelda was a bit confused for a split second, before she remembered that she had indeed made the healing salve that now covered his back. Hearing that the physician included her in his team, even in jest, lifted her spirits quite a bit… and filled her with the terror of responsibility for something so important. "Has he awoken yet?"

"No…" she told him, unable to hide how that saddened her. "But he must have, briefly, while I was asleep. He had moved."

"Good. We give him all the time he needs. When he wakes up, inform me, please. I will have to take a look at his wounds. In the meantime…" he announced, rummaging in the bag he carried. He pulled out a rather tatty-looking, medium sized book and gazed at it as if it were an old friend. "As you've shown interest in the healing arts, I thought you might want to pass the time with this. A short survey over the most useful plants used in medicine and their processing, as well as a guide for the treatment of injuries. Maybe you'll find it interesting…" he mumbled, almost apologetically, before handing it to her.

Zelda was momentarily overwhelmed. She took the item and leafed through it briefly. There were beautiful illustrations of plants, their different parts and uses accurately labelled and their processing explained in detail in a rather hard to read hand. The second half was devoted to the art of bandaging, suturing, splinting and general wound management. What she had pored over for many, mentally overwhelming hours in dozens of huge tomes was masterfully condensed in this handbook! This was an unbelievable treasure in their situation! She looked back up at the still frowning doctor with wide eyes, lost for words.

"It's, well… little more than a few tips and tricks…" he muttered, scratching his cheek. "Won't replace a formal education, mind you, but still…"

"It's wonderful!" Zelda exclaimed excitedly. "May I… may I copy some of it?" she asked timidly, unsure how he would react. She was almost certain that he was the author of this priceless gem, anxious as he was to see her reaction… he might be unwilling to have his secrets duplicated.

A wave of relief was mirrored on his face and a genuinely pleased smile crossed his lips. "Naturally! I hope you'll find a use for it…"

"Thank you so much!" she breathed, showing him a delighted smile. She couldn't wait to delve deep into the crinkled, stained pages. She basically skipped back to Link's chamber, her fingers itching to turn page after page.

* * *

An hour had passed, making it about 11 in the morning. The sheer excitement of sinking her teeth into new knowledge had even dispelled the heavy tiredness for the time being. The book was as fascinating as she had hoped, filled to the brim with useful details, written in a way so even a layman could comprehend it. She loved learning about plants, mushrooms and even insects or other critters, how to find them, use them, combine them to make useful potions, tinctures or oils. Most of them sounded incredibly utilitarian for their quest… some did seem a little scary… but she nevertheless itched to try making them… and see their effect.

For now she avoided the section on wounds, broken bones and simple maladies though… she felt she needed a little more time to… warm up to that subject.

She was just about to copy a page on an ointment that, allegedly, protected skin against fire, when she sensed someone's eyes resting on her.

Her head darted around and her heart skipped a beat. His eyes were open! Her entire body screamed for her to jump up and press him against her, but something made her hesitate. His expression was neutral… his deep-blue eyes seemed to bore into her soul. All those myriads of doubts blazed up like a wildfire, freezing her to the spot, filling her head with phantasms of him growing distant because of the pain he had to endure for her… or her failure at being of any help. She gazed into his perfect blue and, for the first time, couldn't read him.

Was he happy? She didn't know.

Was he angry? She couldn't say.

Was he resenting her? Please, Farore's mercy, please don't let it be that!

A dense fog of worry clouded her mind, robbing her of the almost supernatural connection that normally allowed her to feel his emotions. It was as if one of her senses had been blinded… And she was so terrified of what his first reaction would be, her skin turned cold.

Then, as seemingly slowly as plants growing, he smiled… warmly, lovingly and invitingly.

She knew it was stupid, but she couldn't help herself. She pounced on him as the releasing tension let the tears fall from her eyes. She nearly pulled him up to a sitting position and drew him into a fiery kiss, all the desperation of the last hours finally venting as she felt his warm skin against hers.

He was momentarily stunned, a surprised "Wlap?" escaping his lips which were already inescapably pressed against hers. Then she finally felt the electrifying feeling of his strong arms embracing her, his hand finding the back of her head to pull her even further in. She couldn't say how long they remained like this, firmly enveloped in each other, her heart pounding in her chest. It felt like an eternity.

When she released him, she only did so to look at his face again, finally awake, sating her craving for him to gaze upon her with his wonderful, kind eyes.

How close it had been… how close those monsters had come to robbing her of the incomparable sensation of him smiling at her in his loving, playful way.

Despite all her efforts, her face contorted with a new flow of tears. So close…

"Hey… no need for that, sweetling…" he cooed, looking a bit startled.

His voice was the drop that, at last, broke the dam. Powerful sobs racked her body, and the tears left hot trails on her cheeks. He was back… Finally she was certain… She hadn't lost him.

He pulled her close again, wordlessly, unquestioningly. Despite being obviously confused, he still somehow understood… and she loved him for it.

He held her as she sobbed uncontrollably into his naked shoulder, holding on to him as if she were drowning. He made low, gentle humming sounds and rocked her like a child. Each crying convulsion brought immense relief. At last the stress, the fear, the worries that had bitten at her like a swarm of spiky insects could be released, one shuddering breath after the other. Finally, he was holding her again… Finally, she too could start to heal.

* * *

Nayru's wisdom, she felt like such a crybaby… their reunion after Link's brief absence certainly hadn't gone as she had imagined… but it had still felt good…

When ultimately her sobs had subsided, she had been almost afraid to look at him again, expecting to spontaneously combust in shame when he looked at her, the silent question about her shameful display on his eyes. Her cheeks had burned when he gently pulled her face upward so he could gaze at her undoubtedly puffy and unsightly features. But, as usual, he had saved her…

"So, erm… I don't really recall having my face wounded so bad that it would incite such a dismayed reaction…" he spoke thoughtfully. She finally looked up at him, startled at first, but he had that raised eyebrow and playful grin that she adored so much. "Maybe a good scar might make me look manlier, what do you think?"

And just like that they were back to normal, joking and teasing each other as if nothing had happened. Words couldn't describe how thankful she was for his humour, even if she was unable to engage in their usual verbal fencing just now… too tumultuous was the storm of emotions boiling inside her still. Instead she just giggled like a fool and shook her head before kissing first his forehead, then his nose and finally his lips, long and greedily. He responded as she hoped he would… though maybe a tad more… vividly as she had expected. His hands found her waist and pulled her closer and… well… when she basically sat in his lap she felt a rather distinctive activity against her lower parts.

"I _thought_ you were injured…" she growled playfully, looking at him in mock sternness.

"Not there." he answered huskily, planting another intense kiss on her lips. "Besides, it _is_ supposed to be healthy, isn't it?"

"Idiot." She giggled, feeling herself flush with heat. She had to admit… she was extremely tempted… not only had they been interrupted yesterday, but the relief seemed very eager to turn itself seamlessly into lust. A part of her brain yelled at her: 'right here, right now! Who the hell cares, if anyone sees?'… But it was not the dominant part… Only just.

"We are… in a sickbay… in a barracks…" she breathed between his hungry kisses. "This is not very private…"

"Would you be terribly surprised to hear that right now I am not thinking with my head?" he replied, slowing his approach just a tad.

"Do you think I am?" she giggled back, placing a firm hand on his bandage-covered chest.

With a heavy sigh he removed his lips from hers, but remained close so their foreheads and noses touched. She could feel his inner battle to cool down his raging hormones… Or maybe she just felt her own struggle…

"Thank you for being here…" he whispered. Zelda didn't quite know how exactly he meant it, but it nevertheless filled her with a wonderfully pleasant and warm feeling. "If all it takes is a few scratches to be woken up like this by you…" he chuckled.

"Don't say that…" she mumbled. She knew he meant it as a joke, but… all those fears were still far too close.

"Sorry…" he murmured, but she shook her head slightly and gave him another tiny peck to show him that he didn't make a mistake. Then, regretfully, she removed herself from his lap and stood up.

Whew… had it always been this hot in here?

"How are you feeling?" she asked, and with a slight smirk added: "You know, just as an afterthought…"

"Heh… well it's…" he rolled his shoulders very carefully. "…there…"

Which, she knew, in Link-terms meant 'hurts like hell'.

He winced slightly as he stood up, confirming her suspicion. He made a few measured steps, obviously gauging his mobility, then grabbed the provided long nightgown, slipped his arms in and buttoned it up. He delivered an admirable show for her sake, but it didn't fool her. The way he moved just a tiny bit slower, the few times he seemed to halt mid-motion for a split second when it stung, and the tiny tells on his face told her that it must burn quite a bit. Whenever she spotted such an indication, she had to stop herself from cringing with him, as if it were her own flesh that protested… Sometimes she really could feel it, like a needle pricking her in the back… It doubled how sorry she felt about him having to endure all this. He looked back at her and, judging by his reaction, she wasn't quick enough at hiding her dismayed expression.

"Hey, come on… I really do feel fine, just a bit… hindered. It's more like a really insistent itch than an actual pain." He assured, and to her relief she couldn't sense any untruths there. "It's just stupid…" he chuckled, rolling his shoulders again as if testing whether everything still worked. "You never realize how much you use your back with almost every single movement… now I know!"

She magicked a slightly pouty look onto her face. "And here I thought you were hale enough for… later…" she purred with an unmistakably sensual voice. To her delight, she saw him perk up quite distinctly.

"Hmm…" he hummed, making a thinker's pose. "I wonder whether what you allude to could possibly be worth the discomfort…" The little mischievous smirk he gave at the end was the only thing that saved him from her thunderous wrath.

"Excuse me?!" she flared with a speechless, but still amused, open-mouthed smile. He gave an almost sleazy laugh before sliding over to her and planting his lips on hers before she could defend herself. She giggled into his mouth, caught somewhere between genuine amusement and the desire to give him another set of matching scratches. Despite the monumental cheek, she enjoyed his teasing immensely… it gradually allowed normality to return, one stupid joke after the other.

"I think I'll be in appropriate shape for… that…" he whispered in her ear, causing the skin on her arms to erupt into goosebumps. "…in two or three weeks, at least… Do you think you can contain your carnality till then, my princess?"

My, my! Not just a few more scratches but also a handsome collection of broken bones! A nasty little grin adorned her face when an appropriate answer came to mind. "Judging by the little… excursion you had behind the bushes just yesterday morning, I am more worried about your mental fortitude, my sausage knight…" She twittered with diabolic sweetness.

She saw the colour drain from his face momentarily, which gave her a tiny pang of guilt… and quite a large portion of malicious glee. "Errrm…" he errm-ed, blushing furiously and scratching the back of his head in a nervous manner. Combined with how he desperately avoided her gaze, the sight was unbelievably cute.

"I thought I was sneaky…" he admitted after a while of awkward shuffling. Zelda felt strangely pleased that he didn't try to deny it… she liked that he dared share even such a… juicy little secret. Still…

"You slunk away like a thief in the night and returned with an immensely relieved expression… it didn't take a great amount of intense sleuthing to reach a conclusion…" she mocked him gently, her smile as mischievous as it could get.

" _I_ thought _you_ were sleeping…" he remarked, treating her to an impish grin of his own.

"I was… until your activities woke up half the forest!" she exaggerated remorselessly, delighting in the slight discomfort he showed… and, admittedly, the forbidden spiciness of the topic.

"Oh very well!" He sighed, shaking his head with a grumpy expression. "Next time such urges overcome me, I shall wake you! It appears you felt left out…"

Now it was her time to freeze in bafflement. It didn't help when he brought his face extremely close to hers, his adorable, playful smile on it and whispered: "After all… I can think of no other reason why you would bring this up…"

Her brain nearly overheated, trying desperately to think… of anything…

…

…

…damn it…

* * *

Thankfully, she was able to distract the flow of conversation from that particularly embarrassing topic by telling him of her promise to inform the surgeon once Link woke up. They were currently walking along the corridor towards the operations theatre… not a room Zelda particularly wanted to revisit, but she would be damned if she allowed him to go there alone. As they walked, she wondered more than once whether she should take his hand in hers… she wanted to… and he seemed nervous… But then again, she didn't want him to feel embarrassed, or his manliness jeopardized, walking hand in hand in a barracks… Maybe she was overthinking, as usual…

Doctor Rask was his usual, outwardly slightly sour self. "Ah… the man who rid my little town of these disgusting pests… and saved me a lot of work! You have my thanks!" His tone was surly, but his appreciative little smile and the eagerness with which he extended his hand betrayed his genuinely warm heart. Link took it with a modest grin of his own. To her it was clear, that he was quite abashed at the unexpected praise. "You know, some people have the decency to actually look like they have just been wounded… and not like life itself!" the man grumbled, restoring his usual morose façade. Talk like that was, of course, not something you could expect to go unchallenged with Link.

"Very well… I shall learn to wail and moan appropriately, to meet your requirements as patient. Shall I practice right now?" he replied with an overly enthusiastic expression.

"No need to practice… have a lie down!" the surgeon said with a nasty chuckle, leaving the implied threat hang in the air.

Zelda was ready to launch into a blood-curdling tirade at that, but thankfully her knight seemed more amused than intimidated at that hair-raising tactlessness. Maybe it was a soldier-thing… she decided she didn't even want to understand it…

He lay down on his stomach without hesitation… though by now she noticed the tiny tells that showed he wasn't as calm as he acted. Slightly faster breathing, an absentminded playing with the sheet, his eyes following Rask's every move… Damn masculinity to whatever brainless hell it came from! Choosing a moment when the doctor wasn't looking, she quickly bent down and gave him a tiny kiss on the cheek while snaking her fingers into his. At first he seemed surprised, then he seemed to understand that she could see what was going on within him. He smiled softly… almost apologetically, the fool, as if being nervous was shameful. He gently squeezed her fingers, his thumb caressing the back of her hand… goddess, she had already missed his touch, stupid as that may be…

Rask turned around and both snapped their hands back as if nothing at all had occurred while he was facing away… like they had been doing something forbidden! Zelda had to stifle a giggle. Sometimes they were still like a couple of children… she liked those moments…

"Now… let's see how well your salve worked, hm? Since Lairy is still busy bandaging other patients, you will assist me today too, if that is your wish…" the surgeon muttered as he moved towards the operating table.

Link glanced at her, first a tad puzzled, then with a strange, soft and glad expression. "You made…" He blushed for reasons she couldn't quite understand. "No wonder it worked so well, then…"

Zelda felt herself turn red as well… then she saw Rask roll his eyes, which turned her bright crimson instead.

"If we could restore our attention to the matter at hand…" he grumbled before continuing in a much kinder tone. "I will have to change the bandages, inspect the wounds and disinfect them. Would you like something to dull the pain, lad?"

Her stomach twisted as she remembered the ordeal yesterday… and her wrist still smarted from when he had gripped her.

"Will it dull my other senses as well?" Link asked after swallowing.

"Yes, unfortunately."

"Then no." he answered firmly.

"Very well. Should you change your mind, tell me so at once. There is no shame in fighting pain, and no glory in enduring it when there is no need." the doctor said sagely. From someone who must have seen incredible amounts of it, this gave ample food for thought.

"Now. First we cut away the old bandage. Reuse them only, if there is no chance that the wound is infected… so that excludes all injuries by animal or monster." Rask immediately launched into his lecture, which Zelda lapped up greedily. Not only did it provide distraction from her own troubling thoughts, but she really was greatly interested in the healing arts… despite what they did to her belly.

"Good. We see that only a little bit of blood has come through the cloth. That is perfectly in order… completely soaked through wouldn't be."

To her, it looked like plenty of dark red on the white linen, but granted, it was far from drenched. Still… her head started to spin again. The thought that his life-juice was seeping out of the deep gashes she had seen yesterday… She bit down on her tongue to get her head back in line. Link was watching, listening… there was no way she would bloody faint in front of him, due to wounds that _he_ had to endure… how utterly idiotic would that be?!

"You don't… have to… you know…" he said silently, looking up at her concernedly. Of course he had bloody noticed… she was probably pale as death right now! Goddess above!

"Hush!" she commanded, possibly a little more forcefully than necessary… she hoped he understood that, to her mind, she most certainly did have to be here.

"Now you'll remove those cloths so we can look at the wounds themselves!" the surgeon ordered calmly. She felt a cold shiver run up her spine, but she was determined to see this through. Of course the man could do this all by himself, but he was kind enough to take time out of his probably busy schedule to let her gather experience… and she would be damned if she let such an opportunity go to waste!

Swallowing slightly sour spit, she tentatively brought her fingers close… then stopped dead. "Should…" her voice sounded embarrassingly squeaky, so she tried again. "Shouldn't I wash my hands first?"

Rask's concentrated stare turned into a warm smile at her question. "Very good, young lady! Despite me consciously overtaxing you, you still thought of this vitally important detail. Please do!" he uttered, nodding.

"I, well…" she mumbled, feeling regaled, yet a tad sheepish. "It seems so obvious…"

"It does." He answered plainly. "Nevertheless, you would be amazed how often this most simple act of hygiene is forgotten once work gets stressful."

She quickly but thoroughly washed in the nearby basin with water and soap while listening.

"So many infections could be prevented if people just dunked their hands in a bucket of water every few hours… as long as it's not the same bucket…"

She understood why he was more comfortable making a sour face all the time… he was not really at home with humour.

"Alright. Carefully remove everything so we can have a look!"

Her fingers felt ice cold from nervousness and even trembled slightly… but her will did not waver. It wasn't like she was disgusted by what she might see… it was still her Link after all, disgust simply didn't come to mind… but she simply feared it. Feared seeing something that she was secretly still convinced she had to take responsibility for, but couldn't fix because of weakness or inability.

Her freezing fingers met his warm skin as she began to peel the linen away… the dumb but strangely comforting thought about looking forward to caress his strong back once everything was healed entered her mind, for which she inwardly chided herself. Concentration now!

Extremely carefully, she pulled the fabric away, always terrified of causing Link pain when it stuck to his flesh due to coagulated blood. It had to hurt a bit, but he showed absolutely no signs of it, for which she was quite thankful. It took her a perceived eternity to completely uncover him and she almost expected Rask to take the task out of her hand in impatience.

Finally, he lay bare before her… six cuts, two sets of threes, at least 20 centimetres long… Yesterday she had purposefully looked away, fearing what she might see. Now she was determined to take it all in, to understand what he endured for her sake and to appreciate it as she should… and not to be influenced by childish fears!

It was hard… the sight wasn't nearly as bad as her overtaxed mind had lead her to believe, but… so many stitches… so many…

"No reason to look so down. This looks extraordinarily good! No redness, no swelling… how do you tell whether a wound is infected or not?" Doctor Rask asked her. She was glad for the distraction and this was even a question she thought she could answer. "Well, there are 5 signs I've read about: Flushing, heat, swelling, pain and reduced function…" she recited, to which he nodded.

"Correct, but that are the signs of inflammation in general, not infection in particular. In a wound, there is one sign that can immediately allay your fears of that kind…" he explained, then leaned down and… sniffed. "Smell. Go ahead!"

Holding her hair away she did as bidden, fighting the queasiness that made her stomach wobble. She closed her eyes, braced herself and took a good nose-full.

"Nothing…" she concluded after a moment's consideration. "Just a bit of blood…" And Link's terribly attractive scent, which, in this situation, filled her with calm… that particular thought she didn't mention, of course…

"Agreed. The wound is clean, young man!" he announced to his patient, showing his peaked grin. "Like your lady friend convinced me it would be. No stitches have come undone either. You turn out to be quite a boring test subject for my soon-to-be colleague…"

A pleasant, tingly feeling spread through her chest, which was increased a hundredfold when she spotted Link's decidedly proud grin. Not only had her conscious use of her visions, something that had only ever been a portent of sadness and torment, provided the correct course of action, but apparently her salve had been adequate as well! She still felt light-headed, though now it was due to sheer relief and gladness. She had been right!

They proceeded to inspect the gashes while Rask continued his lecture. He explained away about the proper care for all sorts of injuries as he gently dabbed an alcohol-drenched swab over Link's back, occasionally forcing a sharp, hissing inhalation from him. Zelda had stopped caring about appearances and squeezed his hand, hoping that she could provide at least some comfort with this otherwise useless gesture.

At some point Lairy, the nurse, joined them and commented on a few topics as well, showing quite a deep understanding, and an occasionally very different opinion as her…husband? Lover?

They used the rest of Zelda's salve, then repackaged Link in bandages stretching across his chest and upper back. He commented how nice the unguent felt, though she wasn't completely sure whether he was exaggerating because he sensed her insecurity… one of his more infuriating talents, she thought, grinning slightly to herself.

When he stood back up, uncharacteristically carefully, she was pleased to see that she could see no pain on his beautiful features. He looked at her with this odd thankfulness in his blue eyes and an esteeming smile on his lips… she felt like she would melt under his gaze, so thoroughly did it fill her with warmth. To her surprise she realized that she felt… proud of herself. This was still something that felt queer to her, a notion that had seemed so elusive in all her past life. Maybe overcoming her own worries and learning to treat someone's injuries was but a small achievement, yet to her, right now, with his kind eyes showing her so much joy, it felt strangely fulfilling. Not forgetting that they were not in privacy, but also no longer capable of holding herself back, she stood on her toes to award him a short, but sorely needed kiss. He seemed surprised, then amused, then they both fell apart into a blushing, giggling, awkward mess.

"Did you perchance deal out a little too much poppy-milk, darling?" Lairy commented dryly, yet obviously enjoying to observe youth at work.

"By the way…" Link interjected, possibly to divert this conversation somewhere else. "May I leave the sickbay and go outside? I would really like to…"

"Not a chance!" Rask answered immediately. "I know boys like you! Twice as much energy as brains! If I let you roam freely, you're probably going to play around with your sword, just so that the suture comes open and I can close it back up. Forget. It."

Her knight made an understandably disgruntled face and crossed his arms. "Now, I take offence at that! I have at least thrice as much energy… pah!" he joked, looking suitably affronted.

"Very well, I shall revise my evaluation of your brains downwards, then!" Zelda contributed before her own head had caught up with her tongue.

The doctor and his wife seemed quite amused by her unexpected quip. Link too, thankfully, was smiling, though with a quite questioningly raised eyebrow directed at her. "Should you not have the decency to be on my side, woman?" he asked dramatically, as if invocating some higher power.

"Whenever it suits me!" she purred cheekily, letting her fingers brush lightly against his chin.

"Right. Before we have a hormone overdose in here…" doctor Rask grumbled. "Take care that the bandages don't get wet. That means no washing above your navel, understood? Also: I discourage… physical activity…" he added with a slightly sour face, as if knowing that his opinion on that particular matter was going to have as much impact as a Rito bodyslamming a Goron.

Link did make a pretty discontent face. "Can't I at least wash my hair? I feel like I still have Lizalfos bits stuck in there…"

Though normally Zelda didn't mind a sweaty Link, that image did not particularly entice her to come into close contact…

"No, absolutely not. Tomorrow it'll have healed enough that a little water won't dissolve the coagula. Until then you have it on authority that you can stay as dirty as you like!" Lairy chuckled, though her patient didn't join in the levity. In fact, he actually seemed so distraught by that outlook, that Zelda felt her heartstrings tugged.

"I'll help you later! Don't worry!" she whispered quickly when no-one was looking. The grateful smile she received was already reward enough… almost…

"That, however, does not extend to you, young lady!" the nurse continued after a short pause. She briefly stepped away from her work and stood square before the incognito princess, stemming her hands on her hips. "There is no reason why you shouldn't wash, now is there? And, I have to say, you are starting to go a bit ripe…"

With an utterly aghast face, Zelda realized that she had indeed completely forgotten to clean herself in all the confusion and worry for him. And she had... stood there all this time while everyone noticed, yet no-one had told her… the doctor… the nurse… Goddess, even Link!

She glanced at him, blushing furiously, and spotted his only barely contained snigger.

That's it, she thought. In the end it was embarrassment that killed the princess of light. The next group of vile beasts can just mangle me for all I care!

* * *

Now… she had scrubbed every inch until her skin was an angry red, had washed her hair until she grumpily threatened to cut it all off and had reduced the large bar of soap to a mere sliver of its former dirt-destroying power. Had she forgotten anything? Hard to imagine… She looked down at her body, twisting around, searching for any spot that still had her usual pale tone, indicating that it had somehow escaped her cleansing wrath.

Goddess above! Adventuring was not an ideal occupation for a girl trying to stay presentable! Visible dirt didn't bother her all that much, little accidents could happen quickly… but smell? Din's fire, they must all think her a complete sloven! Princess Zelda, heir to the throne of Hyrule, regularly forgets to come into contact with water! Thank the three no-one actually knew who she was… rumours like that would spread like wildfire!

Rinsing herself off for one last time with toe-curlingly cold water, Zelda thought about how smart it had been to dash for the baths before helping Link to pick lizard gore out of his hair… Still, she would rather be dragged off and be thrown into a monster's cooking pot than face him… stinking and disgusting. The thought just made her cringe!

After she had dried herself off, hoping her skin would soon return to normal, and had put on a provided gown since her clothes were in the wash, she returned to Link's chamber, feeling a bit uneasy. The closer she came to his door, the more nervous she seemed to become. She couldn't quite place why… The lesson she had received had been fascinating, but… being confronted with these infernal injuries on Link's beautiful back, on the spots she had caressed and gripped and held on to just days before… it seemed to have disturbed the unsteady balance in her mind.

She sighed… No matter. It would pass… she hoped.

Taking a deep breath, she opened the door and walked in… and had to smirk.

He was lying on his stomach on the bed, reading doctor Rask's book and, judging by his expression, he was bored out of his skull. Had she really been gone this long?

"You do, of course, realize that your failure to knock could have resulted in seeing me stark naked…" he spoke suavely without looking up. He could act nonchalant all he liked, but the way his face had lit up when she had entered was extremely adorable.

"What terrible notion! I would have had to return to the baths at once to wash away the sheer sinfulness! For twice as long!" She retorted without missing a beat, closing the door behind her and crossing her arms.

"No, nononono! I have changed my mind! Seeing me nude is perfectly fine and you may do so whenever you desire!" he quickly corrected, jumping up from the bed with a wide, impish grin.

'Not the worst of conceptions…', she thought to herself, subconsciously biting her lip. "Dolt." she said aloud. Not quite as eloquent as she would have liked, but her brains seemed to be busy imagining something else.

For a second his rather smug face showed that he had quite a good idea what she might be thinking about. Then his expression got sheepish all of a sudden and he absentmindedly scratched his arm.

"Would you… help me now?" he asked shyly, like a little boy asking for a favour. It was so heart-meltingly cute, she just wanted to cuddle him!

"I told I would, did I not?" she asked coyly and stepped very close, so she would just have to stand on her toes to kiss him. Nayru's wisdom, she loved the colour of his eyes! "So… undress!" she commanded in a very un-princess-like voice.

His bashful look quickly became a deliciously playful smile. After 5 seconds of highly energized eye contact he slowly pulled his shirt over his head, revealing his bandaged chest. Without breaking their gaze, she snatched a towel form the nearby chair, threw it around his neck, then gently pulled him down until his lips finally met hers. A pleasant tingle spread from her mouth all the way to her toes. She loved this so much, yet still… there was this unease that continued to pervade her soul… Nevertheless, she was determined not to let it ruin anything.

"Now… over to the washbasin with you!" she ordered, walking backwards over to it, pulling him with her.

"Right! Now bend down and support yourself on its rim, so you don't have to use your poor back. I'll do the rest!" she twittered and arranged the towel so it would catch any errant water before it could drip onto the bandage.

"Sure..." he mumbled, then looked up at her one more time. "Is everything alright?"

She could have kicked herself… or course he noticed that something was brewing behind her façade, insightful as he was. "Mhm!" she fibbed, hating that she had to be dishonest, even if it was just to keep him unbothered.

She pushed his head back down, then took the jug of water standing next to the basin and began pouring it over his hair, which she loved to ruffle so. Now, at least, she had a good reason to do so to her heart's content.

Taking her time, she used her fingers to comb through it, gently separating the strands that stuck together, always interspersing a few pointless, but very desired, caresses. A soft smile crossed her lips when Link made a deep, contented sigh.

"Hmmmmm…"

She barely suppressed a little giggle. He sounded almost as if he was purring like a very large cat.

A not so old memory came to the surface of her thoughts. "Hm… It's almost like our first real date… remember?" she asked a little shyly.

"Of course I do… how could I forget?" he muttered, sounding almost sleepy. "Only this time, _you_ aren't responsible for getting me dirty in the first place." he chuckled.

"Am I not?" she questioned sadly.

There was a moment of silence and pause, during which Zelda, startled, realized what she had just said. Where had that come from?! It had just come out, spat forward by her subconscious!

Her hand still rested on his head as she watched in shock how his features turned from peaceful to concerned.

"What?" he asked after a while, completely taken aback, straightening to look at her with wide eyes.

Why in Din's hell had she said that?! She hadn't meant for it to be like this! She had wanted to let the day play out quietly… one thing leading to… another… and further…

Now that these cursed words had tumbled from her tongue, there was no turning back… Suddenly she was back to being nothing but worry and doubt, caught in the prison self-accusation… She looked at his wet face, rimmed by drenched hair… his deep-blue eyes gazing disconcertedly into hers, trying to see into her mind.

How could she say what she wanted to so much that it had burst out of her?

"Err…"

She didn't even know herself, what precisely was troubling her so dreadfully.

"I…"

She knew she wasn't to blame… yet on the other hand she felt that she was…

"I'm…"

Tears were filling her eyes… Nothing made sense! She just wanted to be held, to be told that everything was okay… that he didn't hold her responsible… but how could she even hope for that?! _He_ had gotten hurt! _He_ was in pain! _He_ had put himself in mortal danger without asking for anything back! She had no right!

"I feel like I am to blame… for…" she had tried to keep a straight face, but it was rapidly failing. Wails and cries tried to well up, but she was still barely keeping them down. "…for you getting hurt. For you having to put yourself in the line of fire." Her gaze was lowered. She could not look at him right now… she did not dare to see his expression.

"What?!" he asked again, even more horrified than before. "How can you say that?"

She saw the random drops of water dripping form his wet strands, falling on his shoulders or on the floor… anything to fix her gaze on… she wasn't really perceiving it anyway… She noticed that she had gripped the washbasin so tightly that her fingertips were starting to hurt… she didn't care.

"You believed me…" she whispered, her wavering voice sounding so pathetic to her own ears. "For the first time somebody just… believed me. About my… visions, about the Threat… yesterday about seeing all those people die in the inn if we hadn't moved. You believed me even in the face of great danger… and you were hurt for it…" her voice failed her and she started shaking.

"I hate it." she hissed through clenched teeth. "I hate this ' _gift'_ , this… curse that I have! This abomination that is now hurting you too! I hate it so much I want to scratch it out of my body! I hate it! I HATE IT!" she screamed at the top of her lungs, writhing as all the pain of all her life seemed to boil to the surface all at once. Suddenly all levels of control, all restraints carefully drilled into her were gone and the anguish of fifteen years of ceaseless evil visions, endless nightmares and almost constant loneliness ripped at her soul… and now the same bane of her existence had extended its malediction on the one person who had a chance of making her whole… him… The thought drove her to the brink of madness… if, right now, she were standing high on the battlements, looking down on the hard, unyielding stone below… she was not sure what she'd do.

She re-opened her eyes, which she had clenched shut during her screaming fit, and saw his hands, trembling slightly as they, too, gripped the basin. She still did not dare to look at his face, far too great was her shame.

"I don't… I don't want you to get hurt for me." she sobbed. "I feel so… torn…"

A seemingly endless while passed with none of them moving or speaking. In addition to this dam break of emotion she now felt guilty for burdening him with it when he should be healing. Selfish… cursed… pathetic…

Please say something…

"Do you… think _I_ blame you?" he asked at last, his voice jittery. It was audible how shocked he was, but there was no accusation of any kind there.

She knew the answer to that, naturally. "No… but…"

"No. I do not. I never would. Look me in the eyes, Zelda!" he commanded firmly. Slowly she brought her teary eyes up to meet his. He looked as aghast as she had feared, but… also compassionate.

"I. Never. Would. Do you understand?" he questioned softly.

It might have been meant as a rhetorical question, but Zelda actually gave it some thought. "No…" she replied weakly, shaking her head. "I don't think I understand… I want to… so much… but…"

"How can I make you understand? How can I make you realize that everything I do is my own will and every hit I take in your stead fills me with satisfaction?" he wanted to know, his tone getting helpless and his eyes getting moist.

"I don't know!" she confessed desperately, finally starting to sob. "It's as if there is a thorn wedged deep in my mind, forbidding me from accepting what you say, forcing me to see the blame with my inability to take care of myself. I am… I am so grateful… I am so grateful that you are with me! That you are helping me, believing me despite the obvious, catastrophic peril we're in. But your sacrifice just makes it harder! I feel like I only take without giving in return! I hate it… I hate my-"

He had rounded the washstand in an instant and had taken her face between his hands, firmly, but far from roughly. "No! You do not say that! Don't even think about saying that!" he said loudly. "You do not get to say that in my presence! And how can you possibly think that joining you in this quest is a sacrifice? Do not insult me!"

Her shoulders were heaving violently with her crying, but his harsh tone had startled her sufficiently that she was actually listening. "I decided to go with you because it is my duty as knight and as a person. I joined you because I firmly believe in our cause! And, most importantly, I went with you because you are the one I want to be with! From your frustratingly huge intellect over your delightfully scathing humour to your almost self-destructive kindness, I have never been so fascinated and bedazzled in my life. I think I am getting plenty in reward for being your protector!" he declaimed, but his tone got softer again, kinder with every word he spoke. His warm hands on her cheeks were holding her tightly, inescapably… keeping her from falling even further into despair.

"You curse your powers? That is your right. But think of how highly the soldiers in Hyrule speak of you… I have been among them. Those who were with you on that trip wouldn't shut up about how you single-handedly saved them all from a grim fate! Think about how it was your vision that brought us on the path to stop this madness from ending our world! Without that we would probably still be stumbling in the dark! And think about how you saved me yesterday! Have you forgotten that tiny detail? If you had not… whatever you did… I would have lost that fight! You think you have caused me these little scratches? Horseshit, Zelda! Because of your help, I am still here today to get your head back into the realm of sanity! Because of you I am a knight-aspirant! Hell, you even were my inspiration to finally crawl out of my hole and train for the tourney! You might not see it, but you really are the Light… and you certainly are my light!" The overwhelming intensity in his eyes permeated her like sunrays through a leafy canopy… and his words travelled on them right into her soul… and wonderful, life-giving warmth began to spread throughout her entire being. His hands were now caressing her cheeks and brushing her hair behind her ears.

"It's not your fault, do you hear me? None of this is your fault." he repeated and at last some of the meaning of these words began to sink in. Tentatively, she nodded.

"And you yourself have proven that your powers can be helpful… you simply need to learn to control them… and I will help you in any way I can." Again, she nodded, another wave of relief washing away the dirt of worry that he might think her a freak of nature and be repulsed.

"And I thank you and admire you for learning to stitch me together when I've made a mess of myself again. And, with all my heart, you are giving me so much, even if you don't realize it." Before she could nod a third time, he pulled her close and kissed her, not fiercely, but softly, reinforcing and sealing all that he had said, giving an adamant truthfulness to it. He rained a hundred soft, yet wonderfully intense kisses on her, his lips never leaving hers. His face was moist and his drenched strands of hair were cold on her skin.

"You're wet…" she mumbled weakly, but she didn't care anyway and kissed him back immediately, just as tenderly as he had. Nothing mattered at this moment.

They stood there for an eternity, united in something true, sensuous but pure. And, finally, slowly but surely, peace found its way back into Zelda's soul.

* * *

 **I know it's stupid to indulge in self-praise, but… I really like this chapter. I can't really say why…**

 **It provides closure to an issue that someone deeply caring like Zelda would probably have. And I wanted to portrait the wild up-and-down mood-swings of a person under considerable emotional stress.**

 **As a result, the previous chapter and this one were rather introspective and heavy. But, I believe, life needs its darker sides so you can cherish the light.**

 **I hope all my readers from the US and Mexiko have overcome the hardship of the past weeks... Maybe this brings at least a little smile to your face...**


	44. Chapter 43

**Whew, had another rough series of night shifts, but now I have another short spell of breathing room.**

 **This chapter… was hard. But I'm pretty happy with it. Hope you like it too!**

 **Enjoy!**

Chapter 43

Impa

An angry shriek and a heavy kick to her side roused her from her meditation. As far as beatings went, this one had actually been relatively tame…

Impa glared at her brave attacker, more with bored resentment than actual anger. She was stark naked, chained by her wrists to a rough wooden wall that had already graced her with the sweet gift of at least a dozen splinters, sitting on the compacted, cold mud-floor of a Bokoblin hut. Most of her lower body was covered in her own faeces… her captors hadn't had the courtesy of unchaining her even once in the past days… not that she had expected them too. They were stupid… but not that stupid.

The ugly creature that had roused her seemed to get more and more agitated at her unwillingness to show the reaction it had hoped for after kicking her in the stomach. Maybe it had expected her to finally catch her in a state of helplessness… Certainly, to the uninitiated her meditative state could easily be mistaken for sleep. Had she been sleeping, the cowardly assault would have surely caused her to vomit up what little stomach content she had, maybe even cracked a rib or two… Good thing her trance kept all her long-honed reflexes intact.

The wretched beast made another furious wail, gave her another ineffective kick to her thigh, then fumed off, muttering in its primitive language.

Impa sighed without her eyes leaving the doorway, the only source of light for the past week. Not the best situation she had ever found herself in, chained up in the middle of a Moblin and Bokoblin camp. She had been astounded to find that at least one of the large, pig-snouted brutes spoke passable Hylian… She had rarely had to interact with Monsters in her line of work. Usually they were simply not worth the time. And in those few cases, 'interact' had had the same meaning as it ordinarily did in her thankless, soulless profession.

Her shoulder joints ached from being in the same position for such a long time… and her wrists burned where the coarse hempen rope bit into her flesh. And, frankly, the stench, her own no less, was getting on her nerves.

Another deep sigh, making sure not to inhale through her nose. Only a little longer…

The Moblin with the odd white blotches on his skin returned… the one who spoke her language. It certainly didn't make him any more sophisticated than the little wretch that had 'awoken' her. Compared to his smell, she smelled like royal perfume.

"You _talk_ , she-warrior!" the large thing barked, baring his large, yellow teeth.

The Shiekah just stared neutrally, as she had the many times before.

The beast bared its fangs again, in a different way that she had learned to interpret as smiling. "Today you talk. She-boss here today. We keep you for her." It actually sniggered. "This, heaven. She-boss, hell." The terribly clever monster declared before chuckling darkly and turning to leave.

They had been announcing their She-boss for two days now. Good. It appeared this uneventful period of waiting was finally drawing to a close.

She rolled her shoulders, flexed every group of muscles in turn, moved her joints as much as she possibly could. As profoundly annoying as it was, she had to admit… she was getting old. And by that she didn't just mean the ever increasing pain in her joints and the slow, but still vexingly noticeable lessening of her physical abilities… apparently age also made one soft. She huffed, not for the first time. It still filled her with anger that she had been captured… and how…

* * *

The sweltering heat of the desert sands was strangely comforting. She always had preferred sun-drenched warmth over gloomy cold… maybe it was due to her existence being so inextricably woven into the shadows that she liked this antithesis… or maybe it was simply because her aging bones didn't creak quite so annoyingly when they were warm.

The caravan she was with had been carefully picked. Little 'merchants' who sought to peddle their questionably attained wares in Saqqara where Gerudo law far outweighed the king's… Men who were down on their luck and had that haunted yet hungry look of people forced to make a new start in a strange land… And, of course, a few young lads who had a similarly hungry gaze whenever they lay eyes upon one of their caravan guides. In short, people who didn't want to be noticed and didn't care for others.

Once before Impa had been forced to traverse the desert between Saqqara and Vasheer outpost on her own… one of her early fumbles, when her head had still been filled with such trifles as pride. A quick escape had been necessary and instead of hiding she had decided that the long and cruel Shiekah training would make the trip bearable. She had indeed made it… almost. She had collapsed a hundred metres before the gates to the outpost and could still remember the relentless jokes of the Gerudo that had carried her into the shade. It had taken her nearly a week to recover her strength… and much, much longer to recover from the guilt of having to kill her helpers for seeing her… because of her weakness… and poor judgement.

Looking at the five proud Gerudo warriors, she couldn't help but be amazed, not for the first time, at how utterly unfazed they were by the crushing heat. They moved with such strength and grace as if it were a cool evening, not a single bead of sweat on their brows. She had always been fascinated with the striking, tall women of the desert. Their lives were such a marvellous contrast to her own… Loud, boisterous, showy… women with big weapons, big appetites and even bigger egos. Fiercely loyal to their friends, terrifying adversaries to those that would fault them and usually about as diplomatically inclined as a boulder launched from a catapult. Maybe, possibly, when all this madness, this brewing war was over, she too could walk openly in the sun… Impa chuckled dryly at herself. 'The only thing you'd get is a sunburn, you old fool!' She shook her head inwardly. It had taken but a few moments in the company of the Princess of Light for the shadows, which had always meant safety and comfort for her, to seem dreary and for the brightness of day to hold a thousand temptations. Was that her true power? To change people? To make them want to bask in the light she represented? Impa didn't know…

A few hours later the caravan of outcasts was disbanding in front of the Silver gates of Saqqara. She looked at the huge portal, always a marvel to behold. The sandstone was intricately carved to reliefs depicting the awesome deeds of the seven Gerudo heroines. The 'Silver gates' themselves were enormous oaken monstrosities, hardened by centuries of dry heat until they were more akin to rock, reinforced with thick steel bands in complicated patterns, polished until they gleamed silvery in the sun. The Silver gates were a perfect metaphor for the Gerudo themselves, she thought. A people with fine, masterful skills, friendly yet reserved, covered with intricate jewellery that only accentuated their steeled bodies and iron wills.

The time to pay the caravan owner had come and the time for dreamy introspection was ended. She had work to do.

Once there was no more attention resting on her, she used arguably the most important skill a Shiekah had to learn: The Aura of Discipline. Calling to the shadows that she had made her ally, she surrounded herself with a mantle of tracelessness that served as a perfect shield against any attention. She wasn't invisible as such, but no ordinary being's senses would now be able to focus on her. She was now the odd sound you heard but couldn't place, the flicker of movement you caught in the corner of your eye, that wasn't there when you turned your head. Interestingly, the discrepancy that caused in people's minds, seeing something that they were forbidden to perceive, had the additional effect that they would subconsciously avert their gaze and even step out of her path without them ever understanding why.

Concealed like this, she walked unhindered between the line of stalwart women blocking the open gate.

Saqqara was currently in its sleepy state around noon, when only the indomitable or stupid were going about their business. Impa quickly passed through the Voe-quarter, the only area of the city where Voe, men, were tolerated. This was a relatively recent development in the city's history… some of the ancient crones still saw male presence within the outer walls as complete and utter moral decline. The Voe-quarter made up 10 percent of the total area at the most and the one ingress to the Vai-only-sections was almost as heavily guarded as the Silver gates. Nevertheless, those guards posed just as much problems as the last.

Once in the beating heart of Saqqara, the Water-markets, she directed her step towards the inconspicuous shop for odds and ends, a speck of dust in the magnificent labyrinth of the bazaar. Stepping over one of the myriad little water-channels that criss-crossed through the market streets, keeping them relatively cool and fresh even in the most brutal heat, Impa entered the dark interior, filled to the brim with everyday objects and frippery on display.

Her sister didn't notice her, unsurprisingly. If this young woman had been able to see through her Aura of Discipline, Impa would have immediately promoted her to a more… active duty than being the contact for this city, tasked only with silent reconnaissance. She was apparently inventorying her jumble, counting how many useless articles she had.

Impa stepped close and, with just the lightest touch of her finger, drew a tear shape on the woman's nape. Her reaction was commendably absent… only the briefest pause in her writing showed that anything had occurred at all. The old warrior had purposefully chosen the most disruptive signal to show her presence… everything was a test…

Her young disciple finished listing the items on the shelf, then walked over to the entrance with a bored expression to pull the heavy curtains closed. The interior of the cluttered shop was now almost completely dark, but to a Shiekah, darkness was more a natural comfort than a hindrance.

"Teacher." The woman greeted her formally, even though she still couldn't see her. Impa saw her red eyes dart around, trying in vain to pierce the spell. The girl was a pure blooded Shiekah… one of the few that remained. Not that blood-status mattered in the least… it only showed how desperate her clan had become. Their numbers had dwindled so catastrophically that they had been forced to intermingle with other Hylians. The resulting children were in no way inferior, but the outsider parent was yet another security flaw… as had become painfully clear a couple of decades earlier…

Impa shed her mantle of Discipline and the girl's eyes immediately focused on her, then widened. "Grand mistress! I… How may I aid you?" she asked, obviously a bit intimidated. There was no bowing and scraping though, which was good… their order did no longer have the luxury of time, so wasting it with pointless etiquette was one of the first things Impa had forbidden in her presence. And she had been known to get… disagreeable when people lost her time that way.

"What news?" she asked briskly. Traversing the desert between Vasheer outpost and here meant nearly 6 days of being cut off from her network, a state she thoroughly despised.

"There has been another attack!" the younger woman blurted out immediately. "The message arrived only today from Selima Oasis. It is not yet public knowledge."

"Selima has been hit?" Impa asked, slightly annoyed that she had to ask for clarification, but her opposite was clearly quite shaken.

"No. Whatever horde this is, they have rounded Selima and are now between it and Kara Kara Bazaar. The attack was on a Caravan travelling in between! People going the opposite direction have found the site of the slaughter. Judging by the state of decay of the bodies, the assault happened three days before now." she reported.

Impa kept her face carefully blank, but her mind worked furiously. Kara Kara Bazaar was the closest outpost to Saqqara. The monsters were working their way north… whatever goal they had in mind, they were getting closer.

"Any news of the other raiding party? Did the two parties merge?" she asked, not expecting a satisfying answer.

"No news, no sightings. Though…" the city-contact hesitated for a second, but caught herself before her superior could get angry. "The caravan that was wiped out… I would have assumed that the reason was for the monsters to stock up on water and… meat, but…" she shook her head. "There was nothing missing! All wares, all supplies, even the bodies were untouched!"

Impa said nothing. Even if the creatures had a whole baggage train of ordnance, which would explain their slow progress, there was absolutely no reason to leave precious water and food go to waste… Despite all her training and experience a cold shudder ran down her spine, which she couldn't quite explain. Something felt disturbingly off… and she had learned to listen to her gut-feelings the rare times she had them. Still…

"Until we know otherwise, we treat this as an irrelevant oddity, understood?" she instructed sharply. She couldn't have her operatives distracted by unusualness that had no immediate impact, not when the enemy was breathing down their neck so closely.

"What progress in the vault?" the grand mistress asked, expecting the answer to be unsatisfactory.

"None. For almost a week Teacher Purrah has been down there, night and day, now that the Gerudo have loosened their patrols, but…" the girl started to explain, apparently trying to excuse her superior, which was quite unnecessary.

"No matter." Impa interrupted. "I will speak to her myself. I need to inspect the markings again."

That was an outright lie. The ancient carvings and paintings in the catacombs were as etched into her memory as her own name. She thoroughly disliked having to be untruthful to one of her own, but this knowledge was too precarious to share with anyone but the innermost circle.

"Understood, grand mistress. Will you depart at once or may I offer you something?" The young woman was a kind soul… far too kind for field duty. Few of her brothers and sisters would have dared ask her such a question. Not for fear of any real repercussions, but because you didn't want to be on the receiving end of Impa's hard stare.

"Have the entry routes changed?" she asked without dignifying the offer with an answer.

"The grounds are location for nightly tourneys to keep the warriors' spirit up. No lapse in security due to that, though. Other than that, no change." the girl reported curtly. Obviously she had understood the message.

"Good. The usual preparations for my departure, if you please! I may be leaving today again. I don't know yet." the elder informed.

"Understood, mistress. You are very welcome in my home, in case you want to spend the night." the younger woman said with a genuine smile.

Impa was on the verge of saying a few harsh words about military code of conduct, but then thought better of it. A couple of decades ago, a gentle soul like this one wouldn't ever have been roped into their clan's dangerous work, but would have stayed in their hidden village to have a peaceful life… now, sadly, even that was an impossibility… She had no right to fault the woman for her kindness.

"Thank you, child." the Shiekah chief replied, in no way indicating whether she was accepting or declining the offer. "Be ready for my return!"

And without another word she donned the mantle of Discipline once again and her helper's eyes unfocused immediately.

* * *

Darkness had fallen on Saqqara and the city opened its eyes and breathed the rapidly cooling air. The evening markets were almost as busy as in the morn, dancers, acrobats and artists were showing their skills in the busy streets.

This, when the breeze got prickly fresh but the sandstone roads still radiated their accumulated warmth, was when Saqqara, the jewel of the south, was at its most alluring, its most exciting, and its most dangerous.

Impa sat cross-legged in an alley, her back against the still hot cob wall, slowly pulling herself from her meditation. She heard the vibrant night-life from the busier streets, the puffery, the laughter, the drunken shouts and, occasionally, the surprised or panicked screams. She loved listening to the city's spiritedness. It showed her that everything was still in order, everything was still as it should be.

The second hour after nightfall had begun and it was time to move. The advantage of busy streets drunk on life was that no-one would take notice of an old hooded crone. Hiding in plain sight was so much easier than actual lurking in shadows…

As her Shiekah sister had informed her, the nightly tourney was being held. Judging by the raucous noise behind the high palace walls, the courtyard was packed full with laughing, whooping and screaming warrioresses. Yet another advantage… All attention inside the grounds would be focused on the fights, and those unlucky guards who were posted too far away to see would be disgruntled and unmotivated. Ideal conditions for an intruder such as herself.

The entire palace was on lock-down, naturally, but that was certainly no problem for someone as Impa. She moved quickly, weaving through the crowd like a leaf being blown through the forest, always dancing gracefully around any obstacle. After a while she left the busier streets behind to dart through the narrower, darker alleys that crowded around the Pillar of the Sky, the enormous sandstone rock that towered high and narrow over the desert jewel, a natural monument that characterized the city and served as a magnificent beacon for travellers over the treacherous sands.

The Sunstone Palace, which was partly hewn into the Pillar, was possibly the oldest structure in Hyrule… at least the lowest parts were. These ancient halls, which also housed the tombs of the greatest Gerudo warriors, were a veritable goldmine for anyone trying to glimpse into the past. Impa had spent uncountable hours trying to decipher ancient scripts, find all the hidden passages and chambers and learn their secrets and knowledge. Days, weeks spent crawling through dusty corridors, frustrated because every tiny bit of information coaxed from the hundreds of murals and thousands of texts lining the labyrinthine walls led only to three more questions. But now…

A rush of excitement filled her aging nerves as she sped over the smooth, sandy cobbles, effortlessly gliding in and out of her Aura of Discipline whenever she sensed someone near. Excitement and anticipation… something she rarely had the luxury of feeling these days and she couldn't help grinning a tiny bit to herself.

Something had changed! The girl had given Impa certainty without even realizing it! Purrah, her sister, was a brilliant researcher, knowledgeable in thousands of unnecessary yet fascinating things… but she was also unbelievably lazy. "For almost a week Teacher Purrah has been down there, night and day…" the young informant had said. A wry smile played on her lips. The only reason her dear sibling would even consider staying in the murky, uncomfortable catacombs for longer than a day was if something had captured her enthusiasm so completely that she couldn't wrest herself free of her studies. And for that, something extraordinary must have happened! Impa very nearly felt something like giddiness at the prospect, had her iron discipline, and her old age, not forbidden her such childish emotions.

She sped past drunk groups of singing women, a Gerudo and a Hylian girl obviously on the brink of loving each other right there in a dark corner of the alley, an apparent robbery where two large, muscular ladies were mercilessly beating a smaller one and tearing at her fine gown… none of which Impa even slowed for.

She reached the corner where the white-washed palace-wall met the natural rock of the Pillar, one of the few reliable entry points into the compound. Generations of young, feisty Gerudo warriors-in-training have used this spot that formed a handy chimney to escape their curfew and meet their loved ones or to just participate in life outside their barracks. It was the kind of open secret that was carefully guarded by the young and grudgingly tolerated by the older, who, of course, had used it as well in their earlier days. The free spirit of the desert warrioresses now served the Shiekah infiltrators well, though Impa was always amused at how tough the few hand- and footholds were to spot in the otherwise smooth stone, even if you knew they were there. Some exceptionally gifted young rock climber must have hewn them in, and in a way that they were near invisible from the streets.

Once on top of the wall Impa shrouded herself in her Discipline. The dark skinned beauties of the sands, as wild and untamed as they might seem, were infuriatingly observant and disciplined when it came to guarding their sanctuary. Once or twice one of the more seasoned fighters had actually reacted to her even when she was wrapped in her Aura! Barely… only as if distracted by the merest flicker of a candle, but still! These were not women to be trifled with! More than one Shiekah had had to flee for her life when a horde of enraged red-heads had swarmed after them like angry ants from their hill in the past… a tiny blunder here was enough… Besides… seeing her spelled death for the unlucky, gifted individual… something she tried to avoid whenever she could.

Dashing from shadow to shadow, quick as a wisp of dust in a storm, she made her way over the grounds towards the palace proper. The ubiquitous water channels that ran through the entire city were particularly dense here, allowing for an almost lush growth of plant-life… ideal for someone wishing to remain unseen. The vicious spear tips of the Gerudo guards shone coldly in the moonlight… dozens of them were patrolling the gardens alone… Impa was close enough so her knives could reach them, had she wanted to, but she kept herself hidden. One errant move, one flicker in her concentration and she would be forced to end an innocent woman's life before her own was cut short by the sharp pain of a cruel spear in her flesh. Even after all these countless infiltrations she had done, she still caught herself holding her breath occasionally, despite her knowledge that her respiration was impossible to hear.

After almost half an hour of highly concentrated movement and observation of the guards' walk patterns, she reached the side entrance that has been deemed the most easily penetrated. Two warrioresses were standing directly under the narrow archway. That was unexpected… until now their position had always been next to the entrance, not crammed in so close to each other that no passage was possible without touching either of them. A hundred different plans immediately sprang to her mind to get those two to move…

An almost imperceptible rustle to her left made her glance over. A young woman was just about to move out from behind a large bush… maybe she had relieved herself there, Impa didn't care. It only took her a split second to make up her mind an jump at the opportunity.

The ten steps to reach the girl she took in less than two seconds, still without making more sound than a stalking cat. A well aimed swift fist to the pit of the stomach to keep her from making even the slightest croak, followed by a brutally quick choke-hold that also secured her weapon hand was all it took. She would have much preferred to keep her entry completely clean of any violence, but she couldn't care for that right now. She had to hurry, this spot was invisible from the guards at the entrance, but not from any others who might pass by. She lay the unconscious woman onto the dry, prickly grass and with a well practiced motion of her other hand she recovered two tin flasks the size of a finger from the tiny pockets in her garment. From the cloth around her wrist she whisked a long needle, one of the deadliest weapons in the right hand, pierced the cork of one of the flasks until the tip of the metal was coated with its content, then lightly pricked the back of her victim's ear. The second flask she uncorked and spilled half in the girl's mouth and half on the front of her clothes. Then she darted away while stowing everything back in her guise. More than ten complicated movements executed seamlessly in about 5 seconds.

She didn't have to wait long… her choke-hold hat been accurately timed to not caused prolonged unconsciousness, but just a few moments of forced sleep. Immediately as the dazed girl was attempting to stagger up, the effect of the poison were apparent. The exudations of the Blackblood Frog were quite potent… the young woman had just received a tiny dose, but her movements were uncoordinated and her balance was compromised… her head would be spinning awfully while her bladder and possible her rear would momentarily cease their regular function. A little more of the substance and she wouldn't be able to move at all… even more and her muscles of respiration would be paralyzed, followed by her heart.

As the girl was moaning in utter confusion, she stumbled out of the bushes and right into the line of sight of the guards at the door. It took them a while until they reacted to the strange sight of one of her colleagues wobbling and grunting as if she was about to be sick. One of them, spear at the ready, moved closer until she apparently recognized the ailed woman.

"Desert Sands, Anqra!" she hissed, stepped close, then recoiled again. "Goddess, you smell like a spittin' dive in the voe district! How much did you bloody drink?!" she exclaimed, disgust clear on her face, even in the dark.

That had been the second little bottle… A particularly strong smelling spirit that went very well to complete the picture.

The distraction complete, Impa had already made her way to the archway and slithered in past the one remaining guard, not even wondering what would happen to the unlucky girl.

From this entrance it was only a few corners of barely adorned corridor until the unimposing stairway down into the cellars, and from there, through heaps upon mountains of provisions, old furniture, artworks and trash, to the almost forgotten tiny hoistway further into the rock.

The Saqqara catacombs… the air here felt so old and condensed that you might think you are breathing the history of the dead. All sound was gone… so much so that she could hear the blood-flow in her own ears. If Impa were susceptible to such things, she might feel a sense of quiet threat in these long corridors lined with the mortal remains of hundreds of mighty warriors.

The deep tombs of the Gerudo were purposefully labyrinthian. There were no plaques on the stone sarcophagi, listing names or detailing great deeds… no signs pointing to the exit, no landmarks that one might use for easy orientation and some corridors winding or even gently declining so you inadvertently found yourself on a completely different level.

This was a place for the dead… and any living foolish enough to come here might as well join them.

Stepping carefully and silently on the dusty stone, she made her way further down until the comparatively recent graves of the upper levels became the more elaborate, increasingly adorned mausoleums of the most revered Gerudo leaders of ancient times. This is where the age-old texts and murals began depicting scenes and stories from their period, fascinating and fabulous and almost certainly exaggerated.

Even further down her feet carried her until the language speaking of these events was so far removed from any Hylian or modern Gerudo dialects that almost no-one could still decipher them. Many of the passages she took were either cleverly hidden by the architecture or had to be uncovered by millennia-old mechanisms that defied explanation.

After almost an hour of silently navigating the tunnels she finally saw light shining from around a corner. One of the lowest and certainly the most fascinating tombs lay before her, dimly lit by one flickering torch. A three metre high bronze statue of a mighty Gerudo warrior stood in the middle… normally the proud women had themselves depicted in epic poses of aggression but, interestingly, this one, while her left was resting on the hilt of her sword with unmistakable meaning, had her right hand outstretched as if in greeting. Furthermore, she was the only one interred here, who had the Triforce, a symbol of the up until then hostile hylian culture, proudly displayed next to the traditional crescent moon and star on her sarcophagus and her statue.

Varaja Naboor, the unifier of the scattered tribes and peacemaker between Hylians and Gerudo… and, as legend tells, a close friend and ally to the Queen of Light, two thousand years ago…

Impa saw the rough bedroll and bag of supplies and a pile of spent torches in one of the corners of the room… What was suspiciously absent was her sister Purrah… With a faint hint of worry she rounded the statue in the middle of the room, which stood straddle-legged over the sarcophagus, and nearly gasped in surprise. The lower back half of the sarcophagus was open! She couldn't believe her eyes! They must have studied that thing for months, both from the outside and, with distaste, from the inside! How could this be?

As she stepped closer she began to understand. No part of the stone had truly slid open, but the whole massive stone coffin had risen, revealing a secret passage underneath. Impa smiled. She would have loved to be there when Purrah had found the mechanism to set this in motion… the old goat would have squealed and jumped around like a child receiving candy.

Without any hesitation she slid legs first into the stiflingly narrow and dark tunnel which, as expected, led straight down with a ladder carved right out of the rock.

She emerged into a round hall, 15 metres in diameter, lit by the torch in Purrah's hand. The air here was even poorer than above and she had to hold back a cough, but what truly took her breath away were the murals and their incredibly rich and vibrant colours, even after two millennia! Maybe even more!

Her sister, perceptive as ever, soon noticed her despite her being convinced that she hadn't made a sound. "Impa! Thank goddess you're here! Look!"

Impa looked while Purrah explained… and her insides turned to ice.

* * *

The stolen Sand Seals did not want to cooperate but the sheer relentless pressure Impa put on their minds with her Aura of Conviction kept them in line. Sweat was dripping down her back, but not from exertion. The knowledge her sister had found in that most hidden sanctuary had set her thoughts into turmoil. As Purrah had explained it, all the Triforce-symbols in the tomb had started to glow all at once in the middle of the night… then the secret entrance to the lower chamber had opened, completely without any action from her. This had happened exactly the same night the boy had made contact with the Master Sword… it appears this circular hall was meant as a place of learning for the hero, in case the most essential knowledge had gotten lost…

Now Impa had learned. There was little doubt in her mind that her sister had interpreted the story that was solely told in pictures on the round wall correctly. Every grain of knowledge the Shiekah had painfully kept or arduously recovered was true… but the last crucial last detail had only just been revealed.

The hero, the Protector, once he had proven his worth had to stand before the sword that banishes the dark as the Lady of Light sanctifies the procedure…

 _But… the sword must never…_

She heard the arrow splitting the air but could do nothing to avoid it from hitting its mark. The crude thing thudded heavily into the Sand Seal's forehead, killing it almost instantly with a pitiful squeal. Impa had to jump to narrowly avoid the large beast's corpse and landed heavily back on her feet. Commanding the remaining Seal more with her will than with its reins, she made it swerve quickly to the left to climb the closest dune. She had not even seen her attacker yet! Maybe the higher ground could reveal who was foolish enough to assault her.

Now, as she neared the apex of the dune, she could hear the sound of battle over the incessant scraping of the wooden plank under her feet on the sands. A moment later she saw…

A group of travellers, 15 maybe, surrounded by at least twice the amount of Bokoblin, Moblin and Lizalfos acting in a group. The men and Gerudo women were fighting desperately for their lives, having formed a barely coordinated protective circle. The outcome was already certain… Impa clenched her jaw but she knew what she had to do. Or, rather what she had to restrain herself from doing…

Another arrow was flying towards her, but now that she was moving more erratically, it missed its mark by a couple of metres. Another glance… she could see, even from afar, how exhausted and weak the movements of the defenders already were. Only the fear of death, which they had to know was inevitable, was keeping them standing… That and…

Impa's mouth turned dry… what she had at first dismissed as just a pile of supplies in the middle of the circle were people! Two women… and three children…

She could just lead the Seal down the other side of the dune and she would be out of sight… That's what she had to do… She had to get her newfound knowledge to safety! She had to tell princess Zelda and her protector of the terrible danger!

But… The wet gargle of a slashed throat forced itself into her consciousness, as did the piercing scream of a child. Despite her knowing better, she looked again at the battle that was already turning into a carnage. Three of the defenders had fallen under the merciless onslaught and one Moblin's attempt to break through had only barely been stopped, its claw only centimetres from the family cowering in the middle.

She couldn't help… even were she to slaughter her way through the ranks of monsters right now, the defenders would be dead before she could reach them. At least that's what she told herself… but her mission was too critical… These lives mattered little compared to the life of all.

In a last defiant gesture she grabbed two of the evil little bombs, a fleeing Shiekah's last resort, ignited their fuses in a well-practiced motion on the iron plate on her belt and threw them so they would roll down right into the despicable horde. Maybe it would sew enough chaos that the people could flee? Or maybe the idiotic creatures would simply flee in terror of some imagined new foe that caused nasty exploding shrapnel? …but she knew she had made no difference.

Forcing herself to look away, she guided the Sand Seal down the other side, trying her hardest to convince herself that she had made the right decision. The two small explosions, followed by the muffled cries of pain from the other side of the dune did nothing to elevate her spirits, but only made her grind her teeth even harder.

Suddenly something hit the underside of her board so hard that it split clean in half and sent a painful jolt through her old knees. In the tiny instant between the impact and her shoes meeting the sand she wondered what in Din's hell she had collided with… it couldn't have been a rock!

Clenching her feet together she did her best to retain balance as the Seal dragged her further. Keeping upright and not falling over on her face took nearly all her concentration. She would have managed, but she soon realized the big problem with this newly crippled mode of transportation. The changed angle, leaning much further back so the increased friction wouldn't just snap her feet away meant that she was constantly breaking, fighting the Sand Seal's desire to get away with haste. And she had just enraged a large group of monsters, at least a third of which were the infuriatingly quick Lizalfos… Normally a desert-swimming pets of the Gerudo had no trouble escaping the foul lizards, even with a surfer chained to them… but now, with their ailing speed…

Impa heard rapid, soft footfalls behind her. She was so busy keeping her balance that she couldn't turn her head to look, but she didn't need to. She knew the sound of approaching deadly claws all too well…

Escaping was not an option.

With a last fierce push with her Aura of Conviction she sent the weak minded Sand Seal straight into unconsciousness… she hoped it would last until she was done… and she hoped that she would still be alive to use it again.

With one fluid motion she drew her staff from her back with her right and threw one of the many throwing darts hidden in her garb at the closest creature. As it was only five metres away now, there was no chance she'd miss. The heavy metal spike landed neatly in the monster's large eye, giving it just enough time for a surprised wail before life left its body. The next two weren't far off… Impa dashed right at them and used her staff's range for an extended thrust that slammed into the left one's open maw, breaking its relatively weak cervical spine and stopping it in its tracks. The third would have been on her in a split second, but she turned her forward motion into a roll, evading its claws aimed at her throat. Combining her smooth standing up motion with a wide-arched strike that made the air sing, she crushed her third assailant's windpipe and sent it flying backwards with the fearsome momentum of her weapon.

That was three… and eight more of them were already descending down the slope towards her… and she knew that the twenty or so Moblins and Bokoblins wouldn't be far behind.

Forcing her mind to snap back to be calm like an underwater lake, she laid all her focus into her Aura of Discipline, creating a barrier of imperceptibility that nothing could penetrate.

The creatures slowed, then stopped in obvious confusion. She had won a little time… Vanishing like this when something was directly looking at her, and with such animalistic hostile intent, was incredibly difficult. All her concentration was on staying hidden… she hoped she could keep this up.

Slowly, step by step she backed away, careful that she left no obvious footprints. Metre by painfully sluggish metre she gained distance as the monsters screamed in frustration and searched around for their elusive prize.

With a loud noise something popped out of the sands and grabbed her ankle in a vice grip, startling her enough for a momentary lapse in her focus. She could feel that all eyes were on her once again. She looked down and what she saw made her skin crawl. A large, black-clawed hand was coming right from the sand and… it was completely skeletonized!

She whacked at its wrist with her staff and it shattered into loose bones, but another noise, louder this time came from behind. The bones of a Moblin were quickly dragging themselves from their desert grave, then 'looking' right at her. Her Discipline was still there, but… she quickly understood that against this foe it had no effect. For the first time in many years… she felt true, mortal fear. Was the Threat truly so powerful that it could even command the dead back into battle?

The large skeleton was bearing down on her and finally she snapped out of her stupor. She shed her mantle of tracelessness since it was useless now. With a ferocious swing of her staff, strengthened by fright, she hit the whitened ribcage at her eye-level, shattering two ribs and throwing her nightmarish foe off balance. But, to her dismay, fighting a creature that felt neither pain nor fear was a very different experience than what she was used to.

Regardless of the severe injury, the monster instantly grabbed her staff with unaffected strength and pulled. Relying solely on decades of experience she allowed herself to be yanked upwards, let go of her staff, pulled out her two daggers mid flight and let them crash into the creature's skull with all her weight behind it. The blades on the thick bone did negligible damage, but the impact was enough to knock it clean off its torso. Still flying with the decapitated head in front of her, she heard the bones collapse behind her… but the horrible jaws of the beastly skeleton were still gnashing and there seemed to be a nightmare-inducing, reddish glow in its eye-sockets.

She landed back on the sand and rolled to kill her momentum. Not missing a beat she snatched her last shrapnel-bomb, ignited it, stuffed it firmly into the eye, then threw the skull back towards the rest of its remains.

The bone exploded with a satisfying snap, but there was no time feeling relieved. All remaining Lizalfos were less than three seconds away… and she had lost her staff…

Reaching into the many folds of her garb once more, Impa threw out a glass vial which shattered on the closest lizard's skull and made it cough and retch. The highly acidic fumes were much more effective in closed spaces, but she was running out of options. Another one fell from one of her darts, but then they were on her, six of them all at once. And now, using their tail, they had the advantage of range.

One particularly stupid monster that lunged at her she stabbed in heart and throat, but the other five took their time to surround her before they pounced.

She knew she had lost… Behind them she could already see the other creatures approaching in a run… which meant that they had most likely already finished their gruesome work with the group of defenders…

Lowering her gaze, she tried to find peace… for a second she contemplated trying to take her own life… but she was much too stubborn for that. She'd rather take as many as possible with her to the grave.

…no attack came… no sudden jump, no stinging pain, no sweet release…

One of the approaching Moblins barked some command in their disgusting sounding language. He approached her, staying well out of her reach… what a shame!

He snarled something at her… she couldn't understand, but the meaning was still obvious. Nevertheless, it surprised her utterly. A group of monsters taking prisoners? Could it be that they knew who she was?

In that case, if she was doomed anyway, she might as well try to learn more… who knows? Maybe they were foolish enough to let her escape later?

Feeling oddly disgusted with herself, she dropped her daggers. The large Moblin who had addressed her stepped forward and kicked her heavily down to the ground. She had anticipated it, so she wasn't hurt… but it still drove all the air out of her lungs. But before they could frisk her, she quickly took one of her needles from the cloth around her wrist in her mouth…

-spacer-

…where it had stayed until now, more than one week later. She hadn't talked, and the little bit of food and drink she had received had not been a problem… Hiding weapons in even more… uncomfortable spots was always a necessary skill in case you got caught. Even if they stripped you naked, as the monsters had, you still weren't unarmed.

And since up until now she hadn't made any attempts to escape or even resist, they saw no need in trying to bind her tighter or guard her at all times. Fools.

Apparently their chief would arrive today… and he would finally receive the little surprise she had prepared.

The ill-humoured Bokoblin who's task it was to feed her had just left. Time to go to work!

Twisting in a way that very nearly dislocated her shoulder she brought her mouth close enough to her fingers that she could recover the needle that had so long been resting under her tongue that it must have left a groove.

Now came the annoying part… All her needles had a tiny saw-like roughening on one side. The rope binding her wrists was finger-thick… she would be busy for a while.

As Impa was surreptitiously sawing away at her bindings, trying to ignore the stench from all around, she hoped that her sister had had more luck leaving the desert. Naturally, she hadn't relied only on herself with such a vitally important finding. Purrah was meant to leave Saqqara three days after her to try and apply her new knowledge in the temple under Hyrule castle, to see what new things she might understand now. Thirdly, the girl staying put in the Gerudo city had orders to give a missive written by her, Impa, to the first high ranking agent that came along, which detailed the same insight.

This knowledge had gotten lost once… it would not do so again during her time as chief!

The rope was finally almost through… naturally she had chosen to cut a spot that was hidden behind her other hand. Once she was reasonably certain that only a few strands were left, she stopped and hid the needle between her fingers. None too soon had she finished… there seemed to be a commotion outside.

Impa braced herself. Whoever, or whatever, might enter would try to get her to talk, most likely with torture. Naturally, there was very little chance of that… that needle was not only to kill enemies, but also herself, should the need arise. But ideally she would rely on her opposite to want to brag. Many people were in the mood for a little swagger when their nemesis was bound and 'defenceless' before them. She would garner what information she could before things got ugly… and then she would kill them.

The normally constantly chattering and screaming Bokoblins all of a sudden got very quiet. Soft, delicate footsteps were approaching her hut where she was sitting in her own filth. She forced herself to relax, to take all tension from her body to mime the half-starved, beaten and bruised old woman that she, most assuredly, was not.

She was ready.

But the person that rounded the corner and entered her prison still made her eyes wide and her heart skip a beat. A young woman, stunningly beautiful with her fire red hair and gentle eyes… but the sheer, unadulterated malice in her grin turned it all into a hauntingly chilling grotesque. And despite how different she looked, Impa knew immediately who she was dealing with… and it turned her stomach cold.

"Koume?!" she breathed, aghast despite herself.

The addressed stopped in her tracks, her smile wavering for an instant… then it was back, amused now, but just as venomous.

"I should have known you would see through my disguise. Still, I am impressed, _teacher_!" she chuckled. The way she said the last word caused goosebumps on Impa's skin.

"I hoped against all reason that the destruction of the village merely coincided with your renunciation of our ways…" The old woman sighed, clear sadness in her eye. "I suspect I was wrong."

"Poor grand mistress!" Koume sneered with a sugary voice. "Always too hopeful, even in the face of irrefutable evidence."

If her young ex-student's goal was to provoke her, she was wasting her time. "Maybe I simply thought your treachery couldn't be so absolute…"

" _Treachery_?!" the currently red-haired beauty hissed, suddenly furious. "You dare talk to me about treachery? Who of us truly betrayed the other, teacher?! Who of us?"

"If you still see my actions as betrayal, then you have learned nothing. And instead of confronting me you took the coward's way and revealed our home to the enemy, harming all of your brothers and sisters, none of whom did anything to cause your ire. So, my dear child, it really is you, who is the traitor." Impa spoke calmly. She had spotted something in her old student… and she needed to know more.

Koume's previously carefully passive face turned to a terribly unsightly grimace. She growled like an enraged animal and made a step closer as if to try to strangle her old teacher right then and there… This was odd and unsettling, to say the least. Whatever the young woman had become, she had never, ever been this wild, this close to losing control. Impa had no idea how she maintained this perfect guise of face, body shape and hair that weren't her own… but it seemed this power came at a price…

With obvious effort, the traitor composed herself. She straightened her hair and re-established the sweet, threatening smile on her features.

"Listen to you… and look at you… old… defeated… breasts sagging, shit smeared all over you, stinking to the heavens… and still you act as if you had even a shred of control over the situation. Do you not understand the situation you're in, crone? Do you truly not see?" she giggled, acting again like the young girl she embodied currently.

"Maybe I think I can still reason with you…" Impa said more softly. These mood swings her opposite had weren't play-acted… it was as if she barely had any control over her emotions any more… "You cannot undo the damage you have done… too many have suffered because of it. But we still need someone with you exceptional talents. You can still help so many of us!" To her own surprise, Koume's features became softer, maybe even thoughtful. "You must have been lonely… you never were separated from your sister this long. She has been missing you terribly, Koume… I'm sure she'd want to…"

The cold, evil fire in the woman's eyes reignited at the sound of her own name. "I have no sister, you old bitch!" she spat. "And the next time you use that name to address me I will gouge out your eyes! I have left this life behind, the filthy existence with you or any of you fucking mongrels! I need no name anymore! I need none of your wretched lies! You want to reason with me? I have seen reason! I have seen true power! I have seen glory! And it all was as far away as possible from you and everything you stand for. Lord Ganon will come onto this earth like a tempest of purifying fire and scrape off noisome scabs like you! And I will be by his side and rejoice when all of you scream in impotent fear and I will smile when your screams are finally silenced!"

Spittle was hanging from her lips, her eyes were maniacally wide open and twitching, and her fingers were furiously working as if she had a seizure. Impa's mouth hung open, startled at the terrible display and infinitely saddened at this frightening dementia that seemed to have this young girl in its grip. A child… she had recovered her and her sister at a young age… she had always thought of them as part of her family… and to see this brilliant mind, her little genius Koume, so horrifyingly twisted by the power she had sworn to destroy nearly broke her heart.

But she knew what she had to do. She would shed a silent tear later…

With a flick of her wrist her bindings came undone and she lunged at her old protégé with everything she got. She had chosen her moment well… Koume was so engrossed in her rave that she had forgotten her most important lesson: Never turn your back to this old crone.

The needle found its mark, just below the shoulder-blade it pierced first skin, then muscle, then lung. Impa meant to strike a second time but for that Koume was too quick and too well trained. A pained grunt was all that escaped her former student before they engaged in a fearsomely fast mêlée. What advantage the younger woman had in speed of youth, Impa had in experience and technique. And it was only a matter of time before Koume's breath would fail her, once her lung collapsed.

"You think you can defeat _me_ with a needle, you fucking ancient _shit_?!" she screamed, obviously nearly mindless in her rage.

Scream! Scream all you want, girl, your end will come even sooner! The student was fighting well, but to her misfortune, the master was still far superior. Impa weaved around the younger woman, whose moves she had not only taught her, but who had seen them a million times before. And, nasty old baggage that she was, she had not yet parted with her most evil little tricks.

With a quick swipe Impa flicked her own excrement that still clung to her nude bottom right into Koume's face before kicking heavily against her knee. Before the girl could even begin her enraged and disgusted shriek, she had already received her opponent's needle in her other lung and the left brachial nerve-plexus, which didn't immobilize, but sent agony through her entire left side.

The grand mistress, with profound sadness in her heart, was ready to end it. Never before did she have to end another Shiekah's life… or the life of someone she loved… but there was no hesitation regardless.

The sharp point was speeding unstoppably towards her youngling's spinal cord. The steel pierced flesh… and a jolt coursed through Impa that instantly paralyzed all her muscles and drove the breath from her chest.

Koume slowly rose and, impossibly, even increased the extreme pressure she was exerting on her enemy's mind. She looked at her old teacher… And in her red eyes was something more… a swirling black vortex of death that had the infinite dark nought of the void at its end… it promised nothing but absolute chaos and destruction.

Had she been able to, Impa would shudder. For the first time, through the eyes of her beloved disciple, she experienced a miniscule glimpse of the Threat's power… and the sheer force of this ancient, diabolic will was nearly enough to just blast her mind to oblivion.

How could they have all been so blind? Against this infinite might… what difference could they possibly make?

…no. No! This was not the Threat itself! This was the girl in front of her… strengthened, yes… strengthened beyond her wildest dreams, but the real adversary was still sealed away! And it was her bloody duty to see it remain that way!

Scratching together the last, nearly strangled specks of her own power she shielded her mind from the titanic onslaught of raw force coming from Koume.

She couldn't win… had it only been physical or mental prowess, Impa would have been the victor… but against this abject insanity she was hopelessly outmatched.

Fleeing was her only option.

Quick as a striking viper Impa reached into her opponent's grandiose garb and found what she was looking for. A little bomb, just like the ones she had used! She ignited it within Koume's clothes, then removed her hand. The shield she had erected with the last grit she could muster, shattered.

Luckily for her, despite what immense concentration it must cost her, the girl noticed what her teacher had done and had no choice but to deal with the ever shortening fuse in the folds of her clothes.

That gave Impa the breathing room she needed to push her aside and run from the hut, stark naked and still surrounded on all sides by Moblins and their smaller cousins.

Without slowing, she only had a few seconds of surprise before all hell would break loose, she dashed to the rough enclosure where she had seen the monsters keep a few stolen cows when she had arrived. Extending her Aura of Conviction to the max, she incited an instant panic in their usually so sluggish minds. All at once the ponderous beasts, with loud mooing, started stampeding towards the woods, crushing the rickety fence as if it were nothing. Keeping the control she had on their minds strong, Impa hastily jumped on the nearest cow's back and held tight with her hands around its neck and her knees around its torso. She felt a sudden stinging pain in her thigh and she knew she had been hit. She held her breath until the clearing with the camp was out of sight and the screaming of the Bokoblin was swallowed by the woods.

She looked down at her leg and saw a fine looking knife deeply imbedded in her flesh. The pain that had previously been but a sting in the background of her attention now rose to a fiery crescendo. She hoped that the blade hadn't been poisoned… but her own excrement that had caked her skin there might suffice to infect the wound anyway. It was bleeding quite heavily…

The galloping cattle carried her into the forest and blessedly away from the monsters and the demon, who had once been like a daughter. The grief hit her like a strike to the heart and she had to grind her teeth to keep her eyes focused. What more needed to be lost before this madness could be defeated?

* * *

 **So tell me: Do you want more chapters like this? Giving the other characters a bit of limelight? I can't promise they would all be this extensive, but... eh, we'll see!**


	45. Chapter 44

**Bloody hell, this took me entirely too long... I really do want to apologize... My creativity is currently a tad difficult to fish out from all the rest that wants my attention.**

 **In any case, this will be the last 'follow-up-chapter' for now... the next one will have a considerable leap in time, so the story can finally progress...**

 **All in all, I'm relatively pleased with how this came out... Also, it's pretty long, so at least that kinda sorta not really makes up for the long wait.**

 **Finally: This chapter contains citrus fruit of the yellow kind. Should you not want to read this, it will be pretty apparent when it starts, so you can still enjoy the rest.**

Chapter 44

Saria

Saria tried her very hardest to think of a place she would rather be than the maproom of castle Hyrule when a bunch of old, fat men patted themselves on the back for their magnificent strategic acumen. A difficult endeavour… mostly because every single spot imaginable came to mind, from the bottom-freezing peak of the highest mountain to the depths of the odorous mires to the west.

These complacent old fools weren't even discussing strategy any more! The army and all the doubtlessly highly important bits and bobs around it were assembled and would march tomorrow… Everything important had already taken place, this today's extravaganza was little more than a self-congratulatory group hug of those insufferable noble fops that had made little more than agreeing nods while Alistair and the King had done all the actual planning.

Naturally these blabbermouths had not invited her to this nerve centre of all war efforts while actual tactics were discussed, possibly in fear that she might embarrass them. No, instead she had been carted to this event by her father, undoubtedly in hopes that she might catch the eye of some 30 to 40 year old oaf who was foolish enough to approach her. By now she almost wished for someone to try, it would at least dispel the boredom for a few minutes… But naturally she had no need for such nonsense… and she totally wasn't thinking about someone else almost every night… and day…

Oh, good! Her father was giving a toast to the assembled luminaries. He hadn't even started yet and she already felt a yawn at the brink of erupting.

"My King! Fellow lords and ladies! Allow me a few words!"

No. We don't. Sit back down.

"We stand at the gates of an expedition into the unknown. The enemy that has attacked our border… and our southern friends…" he added almost as an afterthought. Sure, border first, women and children second… welcome to the priorities at court, Saria thought, frowning. While her father droned on about the glorious battle 'they' would win, she looked at Shahi, the Gerudo ambassador, who seemed equally sceptical about this whole affair. Or maybe she was just shaken about that recent attack on that caravan. News had arrived earlier today and wasn't to leave the war room… so naturally Sally had gotten wind of it. Getting information out of some pompous young lord's son required little more than making big, fascinated eyes and a tactical giggle here and there.

She had learned a lot over the past week… All of them things that would be kept from her, which, of course, was precisely why she had chosen to learn them. She knew of the increased monster sightings around Kakariko village, the almost daily skirmishes along the northern border and the rising unease of small villages all around the country… Whatever was happening, it wasn't just happening in the south…

Thankfully Alistair had, after a very heated discussion, been able to convince all those would-be military strategists that it would be madness to send all divisions into the desert… These empty-headed buffoons already saw themselves riding at the front of a vast, glorious army! Now they had to humble themselves with 'only' 5000 men and women, roughly an eighth of the force.

…her father was STILL talking! Honestly, how many empty platitudes fit in that man? Judging by his ever growing belly, he still had another 15 minutes in him… What an embarrassing display of self-adulation!

He made a dramatic pause and looked in her direction with a soft smile… which froze when she wasn't quick enough to hide her disapproving sneer. Thankfully he rallied masterfully and continued, but… Damn it all! Now she felt guilty, despite her utter rejection of the notion that that was even a possibility.

Recently Saria and her parents found little common ground, which was, of course, in part her fault… but very understandably so! Especially her lord father was so complacent, so all-knowing, so… infuriating! …but despite the blackness of her heart, she didn't want to hurt him…

A weird shimmer made her look towards the door… she thought she had seen odd movement in the corner of her eye, but now it was gone. Sally sighed and rubbed her eyes.

She was tired… She had barely allowed herself any free time since they had left, but had instead pored over dozens, if not hundreds, of old, dusty, boring, never-ending books, trying her utmost to find anything remotely useful. No wonder her eyes were playing tricks on her… she was honestly surprised that she wasn't tormented by hallucinations of narrow yet meaningless script on every surface. Zelda hadn't specifically asked her to be so diligent in her research… but out of the goodness of her heart, which some people still insisted she had, she was trying her utmost to be able to present the two _heroes_ with new discoveries, once they return.

…There was no fairness in this world! While she had to sit here in this ridiculously uncomfortable dress, playing at being even remotely ladylike and routinely ruining her eyesight with these man-made, brain-rotting, foul-smelling horrors called books, her dear cousin and her beau was out there in freedom, experiencing limitless adventure and, probably, getting up to continuous hanky-panky. All the while her most fiery romance happened whenever she nodded off over some particularly boring tome and woke up with the rather unsatisfactory taste of dusty paper in her mouth… not quite the type of kiss she was interested in.

Of course, it wasn't like she missed little miss perfect, not her! ...now at least she was the most desirable lady in the vicinity, and…

Oh, who was she kidding?! She missed Zelda more than she could put into words! Now she had no-one to join her in unscrupulously making fun of everybody else, no-one to be naughty with, no-one to keep her from doing something rash or stupid! Currently Sally had to do that last part herself, which was incredibly tedious and frustrating… prudence was not something she wanted to be bothered with herself… or something she had any talent for… For the first time in nearly ten years she had no blonde angel to be her chaperone… and no blonde angel to slowly corrupt with her wicked ideas and twisted plans.

Right now, not even Uncle Alistair was here to assist her in ridiculing the assembled nobility… something that absolutely needed to be done to keep the cosmic balance, or so she was convinced. He had done the smart thing and stayed away from this incredibly forced get-together. He was probably inspecting and/or terrorizing the guards, as he was wont to do lately.

Din's hellfire, her father was STILL at it! She watched him, keeping her face carefully neutral this time. Internally, however, she was shaking her head. At least, judging by his speech melody he was nearing the end of his masterful hymn to boredom. Were others looking as languid as she felt? With difficulty she wrenched her eyes away from her old man's swaying gut to judge other people's reactions, then instantly snapped her gaze back and froze. Saria had seen it again! An odd, warped shade just visible from the corners of her eyes. It had been standing right behind her father…

Her skin turned cold and her heart started thumping… Link had mentioned that he hadn't been able to see them until it had almost been too late.

Quickly, she tried to provoke the phenomenon again, slowly, deliberately, looking away until she could barely see the side of the room where the king and her heavy-bellied progenitor stood.

For a second she thought she might have lost it… in more than one meaning of the phrase… Then she saw distinct movement where none should be! A rising arm! And a hand holding something pointy.

"Watch out!" she screamed as she turned to look at the spectre fully. She jumped up from her seat and pointed at… the now dreadfully empty spot behind her uncle the king. Sally could see all heads turning as one towards her, towards the point that was now so gut-wrenchingly devoid of anything, then back to her. She didn't even have to look at their poncey faces to see their sneering, judgemental expressions… Her father ogled her with aghast features that slowly turned to anger.

Other people might shy back from further embarrassment, some might even put their sanity in question… Luckily, that was something that couldn't happen to Saria!

She grabbed a heavy goblet from the table next to her, threw it with all the force her thrice-damned dress allowed her and prayed that she had remembered the right spot. Ten years of throwing everything nasty she could find at her majestically squealing cousin must have paid off!

The silver cup, still sloshing water, flew a beautiful arc, then hit thin air with a resounding clang and a muffled yelp of pain.

A victorious smile spread on her face, but it only lasted a second. As if they had just blinked into existence, four dark-robed and masked beings stood among the assembled guests… one behind the king, about to regain his balance, one behind her father, one dangerously close and looking directly at her. The fourth one was quickest to react. He, or indeed she, reached into the folds of his clothes and pulled out and with one knife in each hand stabbed the two royal guards at the door in the neck before they could react.

Their last, twitching movements and gurgling, dying breaths were what caused the entire crowd to erupt in panic. Several of the men reached for their swords, while a lot more of them floundered to get away from the attackers… noble indeed!

A hundred things happened at once, far too much for her to keep track of. Her father ducked away from his assailant just in time, but the wicked looking blade still imbedded itself in his shoulder. A frightened squeal escaped her mouth when she saw his features twist in pain and she began to run to his aid, but was stopped almost instantly by the attacker closest to her. The masked villain cut his way indiscriminately through the few men and women who were between them, most of which where still too stunned or panicked to react.

Sally herself could barely move… the sheer, overpowering bloodlust the assassin radiated rooted her to the spot and nearly drove the breath from her lungs. The terrifying man had cut a brutal swathe through the crowd, and now had an unobstructed path to her… some of his victims were moaning or screaming on the ground… some were dreadfully silent.

Only one more step and she would be in range of his wicked, blood-spattered knives! She already saw them being thrust terribly slowly towards her throat, yet still her muscles refused to obey. The world moved ludicrously laggardly… she could see the dark red sheen of blood glistening in the warm light of the torches and, strangely, her brain trying to evade the absolute terror, thought how magnificently beautiful the colour was…

Only a few centimetres from her throat… She closed her eyes…

Something crashed into her, something that was decidedly no blade. With an undignified groan she hit the floor, then, still breathless, saw someone fight the assailant… someone broad and distinctly looking like…

"Father?" she breathed, wide-eyed and still stunned. She was looking at his back, the wound in his shoulder bleeding so much his entire left side was drenched in red… yet nonetheless, with furious growls and surprisingly quick movements of his blade, he pushed the attacker back from her. Saria had heard that her old man had been a competent swordsman in his youth, before he had developed such an appetite… but she had never given much credence to such claims.

Unfortunately, the assassin who had stabbed him was now joining his brother in fighting the panting older man. They were relentless, weaving and dancing around his increasingly tired swings, probing his defences… She could see it was just a matter of time before they got through… and then…

With an angry hiss at her own deplorable weakness she finally shook off her stupor and half crawled, half stumbled for the door. She needed to open it, shout for more guards! Maybe even Uncle Alistair would hear in time! There had to be something she could do!

In her blind haste to help she had nearly forgotten the fourth murderer at the door… Sally crashed into his back, as he had been busy locking the heavily reinforced door from the inside. Not thinking straight, she tried to reach past him to unlock it again, desperate to get help for her father, fighting for his life, but the man simply batted her hand away, then in one quick and brutal move gave her a backhanded slap across the face. Shrieking more in shock than in pain she fell backwards and landed painfully on her elbows. Her vision was spinning, but the fear of the dark shadow looming above her filled her with icy clarity. He was already bowing down, the wicked blade of his dagger shooting towards her. Acting on pure reflex, she yanked her right foot upwards, meeting his groin, making him recoil in pain against the door, but not nearly enough to incapacitate him.

"Bitch!" he screamed, holding his wounded parts, the fire of deadly anger flaring in his eyes. She knew she wouldn't survive the next second as his muscles tensed, ready to pounce at her. She had failed… and her father's sacrifice would be in vain.

He gave a pained growl, then… suddenly his eyes widened in shock and the tension from his body was gone. Moaning weakly he tried to fumble with something in his back, which he apparently couldn't reach. Half a second later he fell forward and Saria saw the bloodied blade of a sword sticking through the door the assassin had leaned against.

This time she reacted instantly. She knew precisely who was at the other side, the only one she knew who was this accurate and strong with a sword to punch through a reinforced oak door like this.

Moving with the speed and dexterity of sheer panic and teary hope at once, she undid the three locking mechanisms that held the door shut, turned the handle and ripped it open while jumping to the side.

"Help him!" she wailed, unable to keep the desperation from her voice when she looked back at her father, whose entire white coat was now red and whose skin seemed deathly pale. There was an enormous cut on his belly and by now his breath game in laboured, short gasps.

Like a blur of pure efficient death Alistair darted past her dad and descended upon the two assassins. The first was cut down before he could even raise his arms in defence, the second followed suit after her uncle, never stopping his fluid motion, had sliced off the fingers holding the wicked knife, then, with frightful accuracy, pierced through his ribs and stabbed his heart. With his free hand the blademaster caught the falling stiletto and instantly, with an underhanded throw, sent it towards the last of the four, occupied by the two royal guards and the king, where it imbedded itself neatly in his back. The assassin gasped out, then was immediately finished by the king's men.

Before Sally could even breathe a sigh of relief, her father had already dropped his blade and stumbled towards her. His eyes were wide with abject fear and he was so out of breath that he couldn't say a single word between his great, heaving inhalations. Hastily he checked her with his eyes and hands, obviously desperate to ensure that she was unhurt. She barely had the strength to deflect these intrusions, and right now she couldn't care less.

Relief settled on his face when his furiously buzzing mind had made sure that his daughter was well… She couldn't help herself and smiled with a little snort, which was somewhere between laughing and crying.

He closed his eyes… and fell forward. With a surprised yelp she caught him, but she lacked the strength to hold him so she did her best not to let him slip from her fingers.

"Father?" she asked, her voice high and fearful. Panic rose again when he didn't move. She could feel the warm wetness of his blood already soaking through her dress where their bodies touched.

"Father!" she cried, letting him down and shaking him to no avail. No… please no…

Alistair was with her in a flash, throwing a quick glance over the stricken man's wounds. He pinched a spot behind her father's ear and, to her sobbing relief, he moved, albeit weakly.

"Making such a show in front of your daughter, Bartolo, you should be ashamed. Wake up!" her uncle rasped, produced his handkerchief and pressed it against the wound of his belly.

The addressed slowly, tiredly, opened his eyes again and Saria held his cheeks, both laughing and crying. He smiled at her, relief obvious in his eyes, still breathing heavily.

"I'm so sorry…" she whined silently. She didn't know exactly what for… a lot of things, she supposed.

"Don't worry, those few scratches won't kill him." the blademaster croaked. "Some carry their armour with them wherever they go, eh, Bartolo?" he jeered with a nasty grin, gently patting her father's luxurious belly.

He snorted a pained laugh. "Fuck you, Alistair!"

Sally laughed like a maniac, infinite relief flooding her like a storm surge. She remained at his side when they carried him to the infirmary and spat fire and acid at the idiots who suggested she leave for their trauma management. She was fucking covered in blood from her hair to her toes, why in Din's hells would she care about seeing more?!

Only when his wounds were dressed and he was sleeping soundly did she allow her uncle to lead her away, since he insisted that brave warriors needed their rest. Just for once, she was about as far from making a scalding remark as she could conceive.

She had felt… not exactly safe within the castle walls now that Zelda was gone, but at least protected… Evidently, that had been an illusion. Saria had no idea what the assassins' goal had been… regicide, the taking of hostages or just sewing chaos… and she was far too tired to try and figure it out now. The memory of at least ten men and women, fathers, mothers, sons and daughters lying dead in the map-room rose nauseatingly in her mind. They weren't safe… Far from it…

* * *

Ricco

This was just bloody ridiculous! How was a man to focus on serving these beautiful young ladies that were currently sitting in his father's inn when only one face was constantly flittering through his mind?! And to his utmost annoyance, it wasn't even Saria's beautifully sneering face!

No, instead it was his uncle's, the right honourable mayor Boro's heavy-jowled visage that caused a storm of fairly unpleasant emotion. Ric wiped the few tables that had been used today so aggressively that they shined as if polished.

Yesterday he'd had a lengthy discussion with him and his old man. He had thought the matter would be easily solved between father and son, and that his uncle would know not to interfere in matters that didn't concern him. Din's flaming nipples, what a mistake that had been! He had once again underestimated the immense meddling power of the foremost and only politician in the sprawling metropolis of Ord!

Ricco wanted to discuss his return to Hyrule City. Quite frankly, he had loved it there! The busyness that seemed to never end, the markets where everything imaginable was available, the magnificent architecture, the sheer overwhelming culture the place exuded… and yes, of course, the considerable closeness of a certain someone… But that honestly wasn't his entire reasoning for wanting to escape this boring hole of a village. First off, he would easily find a place that would hire him as a cook, which meant that he wouldn't just leech off of his father's business any longer. Secondly, he would be at the beating heart of Hyrule and would see and hear every newsworthy bit of information concerning war, safety or even finance immediately and could relay them to Ord. That way, his village wouldn't be dependent on the often slanted, incomplete or just uncaring opinions of travellers and merchants about what was actually going on. Thirdly… well, alright! Thirdly he would at least have a chance of seeing Saria again, instead of letting her delightful snoot rob him his sleep… figuratively and literally.

He could see his father wasn't completely opposed to the idea… Ricco had been sure that they would come to some sort of agreement… After all, his father always bragged that that was what he had done in his youth, set off into the big city to start a life there… And, judging by the old man's sardonic little smile, he had a pretty good idea about one of Ric's reasons to suddenly be so eager to escape boring village life… he wasn't a complete fool after all…

Uncle Boro on the other hand… Farore's mercy, the old self-important, meddling, swanky, nosy, know-all politician's name alone caused his blood to come to a boil! Ric swept the floor so vigorously that the remaining guests eyed him fearfully, as if they were afraid that he might just sweep them away with the rest of the dross. He had not only obnoxiously listened in on the private father-son conversation, but had elected to…opine before his dad could even utter a word! "Th-th-that's a complete impossibility, young man! How can you even suggest such a thing at a time like this?!"

Because despite your constant efforts I have retained a speck of free will? He should have said that… not that it would have helped, but at least he wouldn't be as angry at himself now…

Naturally, his uncle had immediately launched into a blustering political speech about how it would be 'most irresponsible' and 'downright barbaric' to 'abandon house and home' now, in a time of 'brewing unrest'… Not even his and his father's pointedly obvious eye-rolling had had any chance of staunching the flow of thoroughly unwanted election speech. "At a time of crisis, a man must stay where he is needed most, defending his home from danger, not run off to frolic around in the city and be a further worry!"

Ricco fiercely cleaned the cups at the bar as he remembered the utter nonsense he had been subjected to yesterday. Listening to Mayer Blather-much had been bad enough… But the truly aggravating thing was that the old fool had a point, damn it! Two of the young men of age had been drafted, Link was gone, Sir Russel was getting more ancient by the second… the number of people who could be relied on in a fight was growing thin. The frequency of monster sightings seemed to be ever increasing… the obvious pseudo-heroic exaggeration of many accounts aside, hardly a day passed without someone wanting to have seen something. People were starting to be afraid… and he had been so blinded by the prospect of topsy-turvifying the big city that he had completely forgotten about anything else… His father hadn't outright forbidden him to go, but Ric had seen the doubt creeping onto his face… Additionally, he himself now put the greatness of his plan into question, which was a lamentable state of affairs… Damn it bloody all!

If he left now, he would almost assuredly feel like he had abandoned Ord the whole time… all because of that Hinox-faced, holier-than-thou uncle of his!

The plate he had been washing snapped in two under his hands. For a second he was dearly tempted to just throw the halves against the wall as hard as he could, but he managed to compose himself. Ricco gave a big, heartfelt sigh. Where was Link when you needed him… what he needed right now was a good ol' distracting fistfight. Which he would win, naturally… but getting smacked in the face by Link's spindly arms had a way of setting the world right side up again. Marten was of little help there, the beanpole. He was even slighter than the baby-faced blondie. One of Ric's sneezes could knock him over!

Damn it all, he needed a distraction from… his thoughts, her face, his uncle, her grin, this town, her bum, you name it. That he was reduced to such a pathetic, moping state annoyed him even more! He was supposed to be the big stable one, Ricco the tower of strength, now crushed to rubble by a pair of cheekily swaying hips. What was this stygian magic of women that turned even the most stalwart of men into slavering mush?! …Goddess, I really should write poetry!

Thankfully, the world was spared this particular mortal threat by the appearance of a duo so unlikely that for a good minute, Ricco just stared and completely forgot the innkeeperly automatisms that had been drilled into him from early on.

A Rito female and a Goron… with them it was nearly impossible to tell… Now, that alone was unconventional, but hardly worth the befuddlement. The fact that the Rito was sitting cross-legged on the Goron's huge head with an air of complete boredom certainly was, though. For a humorous moment Ric wondered, whether the large rocky fellow had even noticed the feathered hitchhiker…

"You sure you want to stop already? 's barely evening…" the deep, gravelly voiced Goron muttered, scratching his chin thoughtfully while turning his head this way and that, causing the Rito to very nearly fall off.

"I told you, I'm not making another step today. My feet hurt and my wings are sore from all the scouting I did while you were just plodding along at your snail's pace." the woman's melodic voice resounded over the central square.

"Fair enough…" the large rock rumbled. "Had enough of your bony butt drilling into my skull anyway. Who'd have thought you poultry were so heavy?"

"Excuse me?!" she blustered. "Well, maybe I should have found a companion who isn't just a wimpy pebble with delusions of grandeur!"

The 'pebble' smiled broadly at his obvious success in annoying his passenger, then slowly trudged closer to the 'Dinnery', swaying deliberately from side to side with each step so the girl had to hold on for dear life.

Finally, Ric's entrepreneurial spirit kicked through the veil of amused shock.

"So! What can I get the cute newlyweds?" he called as he approached them, presenting his best inviting smile. His father probably would have clouted his ear, if he had heard such potentially business-ruining cheek from his son, but no force in the world could have dissuaded him from using such a precious opportunity for a joke.

Thankfully, he seemed to have judged their characters correctly. The Goron reared up and let out a deep, booming laugh that finally managed to dislodge his passenger with a surprised squawk, forcing her to hang precariously from his thick neck.

"How about a divorce, and right quick!" she quacked in annoyance as she fluttered gracelessly to the ground, but then showed a slight grin anyway as she smoothened her purple feathers.

They seated themselves, one elegantly and soundlessly like a soft breeze, the other with a heavy 'thwump' that made every piece of crockery in the Dinnery clatter.

"Now, other than priestly duties, how may I serve those of air and earth?" Ric asked with a considerable helping of pathos.

"Don't imagine you got any thiophene, do you?" the Goron rumbled with a doubtful expression.

Ricco made an appreciative face. "Going right for the heavy stuff, I see! You're in luck… my father always keeps a few containers around for the odd earthquake passing by and wanting a good night's sleep or six."

The large guy released another one of his booming laughs and gave Ric an amiable pat on the back which nearly sent him flying over the table… not something that happens often. "You can handle your sulphur, I take it?" he wheezed, gingerly rubbing his stinging back.

"He thinks so…" the purple-feathered Rito beauty chuckled. "I'll have water and… hmmm…"

"How about our assorted nut-and-berry platter? Something light for the evening?" he asked, steering her to a dish that quite probably wouldn't be enough after a day of travelling.

He brought a tray with the ordered food and drink, feeling the weight of the quite enormous stone mug that contained the Goron equivalent of booze. His father would be overjoyed… so far from Death Mountain, they could charge exorbitant prices for the Rock-people's foodstuffs. The big guy must know… he hadn't ordered anything to eat…

Kronbo, son of Yoro, as Ricco found out after they had introduced themselves, took a huge gulp of the strong Goron liquor, then sighed and smacked his lips contentedly. "Haha! Been asking in every waterin' hole for the last 400 kilometres… knew it'd pay off at some point!"

Ric bristled at having his family tavern called a "waterin' hole", but chose to brush it off for diplomatic reasons. Normally, no self respecting innkeep of certain standards would ever dream of asking his guests personal questions… So, naturally, Ricco adhered to that most absolute of gastronomic laws, totally

"Now, of course you're aware that, after that entrance you made, there is no chance I wouldn't ask why the mountain and the wind travel together in such a conspicuous fashion…"

The unlikely pair did their best to appear unfazed by his prying, but the sudden drop in room-temperature was quite noticeable nonetheless… Krombo took another hearty swig, his cheeks already a tad flushed, while Vrilly, the feathered beauty, seemed to find particular interest in one of the chickaloo nuts.

The future proprietor, seeing that he had misjudged the earlier carelessness of the situation, found it wisest to pull back… without giving up, naturally! "I am sorry… I can see I have stumbled upon painful territory?" he very carefully worded it as an apology, yet let his inflection turn it into a further question.

The big guy made a low grumble, sounding about as harmless as a mudslide. " 's a secret, innit?"

"Which you just made quite a bit more obvious, you big oaf…" his purple-white companion sighed with a dramatic eye-rolling that seemed to betray this lapse in secrecy as hardly a singular occurrence.

"I apologize… I did not mean to pry…" Ric lied so unabashedly that Nayru herself probably threw a fit.

"Never understood why it should be secret anyway…" the living boulder mused, then looked disapprovingly at the rapidly draining contents of his mug.

"Fluttering feathers, you are so… _argh_!" the Rito croaked, chattering with her exquisite beak, the equivalent of an angry gnashing of teeth.

"Thing is, little Hylian…" felt odd being called that standing at about 1 metre 90… "…we and a few others are fighters,…" he intoned heroically with his impressive bass. "…valiant warriors for the good of all races and peoples!" he pronounced, flexing the muscles of his arms, each the size of a bushel of hydromelons, in a triumphant pose.

The equally heroic eye-rolling of his annoyed companion could almost be felt in the air. "Mercenaries, more like…"

"Oh hush, you overgrown cucco! Don't listen to her, boy!" He leaned down towards him conspiratorially, raised his hand to block her off and whispered in his ear. His voice still echoed off the mountains… "She is just as concerned and brave as the rest of us. This one just likes to appear more… aloof. Or should I say, aloft! HAHAHA!" Ricco cringed, in part at the joke, but mostly to save his ear from being blasted away by the enormous, earth-shaking laughter.

"Oh, don't strain that geode of a skull of yours, trying to come up with witticisms…" she shot back, unable to hide an amused twinkle from her eyes. She then sighed grandly, betraying her mastery in overacting. "Since it has come to this anyway, I better continue… partly so the whole village doesn't have to listen, but mostly so what you hear is actually correct and not bragging and exaggeration. And you won't try to poke your fleshy nose in further once I am done talking…" There was a tangible menace in her voice that told Ric that, for once, this situation did not warrant a witty comeback. He confined himself to nodding.

"Something… odd happened in the sanctuaries of our people… Goronia high on Death mountain, Zora Fountain in the Lanayru Mountains… a light appeared about two weeks ago, seemingly out of nowhere. And with it came the monster attacks…" Ricco noted how she had carefully avoided mentioning the Rito sanctuary, a place deliberately shrouded in mystery. As far as he knew, the proud semi-nomadic avians had never shared the location, or even the name of their nesting grounds, with anyone. It was so shrouded in secrecy that, unsurprisingly, many legends had sprouted around the place… and twice as many opinions, diverging anywhere between it being the richest of all places due to all the gold stolen by magpies, to it not existing at all.

"We in the periphery have always had to contend with occasional raids and forays into our territory… unlike you Hylians here at the centre." There was a strong bitterness in her voice, a notion that many Rito seemed to harbour for the people of Hylia. "But this new wave… relentless, brutal… and above all: coordinated. No longer are these the desperate little forays of three or four Bokoblins, half crazed from hunger... these are planned assaults, testing our defences and our ability to adapt… and their numbers only seem to swell…"

Ric felt a most uncomfortable shudder creep up his spine… something in the woman's eyes and voice… she was deeply troubled, despite not wanting to appear so.

"Same in Goronia… Number of Lizalfos seems to have doubled over night… the night that weird light shone from our temple… 's almost as if they were… drawn to it… but it didn't seem evil or nothin'. No idea!" Kronbo spoke into his mug before draining the last few drops from it.

"Do tell…" Vrilly replied dryly. "Still, he's right. All of us, Goron, Rito and Zora, have experienced this sudden dramatic increase in activity. Our scaled brethren seem to have it particularly bad… the male we two met to discuss our course of action didn't dare to leave for Hyrule City with us, but instead had to urgently return to his people."

"What's more…" the large guy interjected. "I've never seen Bokos fight like this… all mindless like… Lizalfos, sure, they're dumber'n rock, but… for those piggies to fight to the last? Not run away screamin' when things turn sour? 's unnatural, 's what this is! 's like they're possessed!" For the first time since they had met, Ric saw something like true worry on the behemoth's face… and regret… He had the distinct feeling that the gentle giant was deeply troubled by all of this… And once even the stoic, almost lethargic Gorons were unsettled, you know you had cause for alarm.

A thought niggled in Ricco's brain. "When, did you say, did this strange light occur?"

"Precisely 15 days ago." the Rito hummed.

Judging by Marten's barely coherent recounting of what Link had told, that would be… when he found the whatchamacallit… Master's Sword?

"And… where exactly did this light come from?"

Kronbo visibly started to answer but Vrilly cut him off. "I will not tell you." she simply said.

"Hmm… and what is your business in the city?"

"I will not tell you." she repeated, equally deadpan.

"Aaand… what is the purpose of your secret society of Brave Heroes?" he asked, unable to hide a tiny smirk.

"Guess…" she replied with a similar expression, which was considerably harder to identify with a beak.

"To be pointlessly secretive about their own purpose, therefore achieving maximum recursiveness?"

"Look, we really are just mercenaries. We are a few Zora, Rito and Goron warriors trying to find their way in Hyrule. And currently we are aiding our homes… free of charge, I might add!" she explained, as if the very concept were positively alien to her. "And we two have been sent to the city to enlist help. And, should they be willing to listen, to inform the Government of our situation. Not the impressive, valorous, exotic tale of adventure you expected, eh? Mister nosy?"

It made sense. It was coherent. He didn't believe a single word. Ricco could feel that there was quite a lot more hidden behind the rather lax narrative she had presented… but he was also certain that he would get no more information from her and that she would, if anything, become a good deal more hostile, should he attempt to poke further. Also regrettably, he was relatively sure that behind the gormless grin on Kronbo's face was a rather keen mind and that there was little chance of getting him to reveal something that he didn't want to… even with nearly a litre of strong liquor in him.

Ric strongly suspected that all the two strange travellers had described, the increased number of attacks, their secret association of valorous mercenarism and especially the odd magical 'light', was in some way connected to whatever it was Link and Zelda were doing… All of this happening in such rapid progression would otherwise be a tad too coincidental. But any information he might pry loose from the unlikely pair might come at the prize of revealing something about their quest, which was the very last thing he wanted… they were in enough bloody danger already, judging from what he had heard of nightly attacks and the haunted, startled look on his friend's face when last he had seen him, the night they had left the city.

So, despite his burning curiosity, Ricco decided to abort his interrogation for the sake of Link's and the princess' safety. He wouldn't be able to inform them anyway, even if he were to gain any valuable intelligence.

"Very well… in that case, let me ask you just one more question!" he announced with a dramatically raised index finger. "Will you require a room for the night?" he quickly continued before the Rito's face could turn completely dour. "I'm sorry, Kronbo son or Yoro, but our rooms are all in the first floor… the repair fees would be exorbitant!"

The big lug had himself another hearty laugh that could be felt in one's soles. "Your houses are all too frail for someone of my… character! One sneeze an' it's missin' a wall!" he roared, obviously very pleased with his probably very accurate observation. Ric liked Gorons in general… not only because people accused him of being half of one, but also because they usually were so refreshingly uncomplicated.

"You could, however, sleep on the stone terrace next to the furnace. The heat lasts well through the night so your mightiness doesn't have to freeze his rocks off." He explained and earned another big chuckle as well as a tortured groan from Vrilly.

He got up and, after payment naturally, showed his Goron guest around the house to the designated spot. He was just about to bid him a good night when a huge hand dropped heavily, but surprisingly gently on his shoulder. "Do not be angry with my companion, young Ricco. She is tired and feels the responsibility on her shoulders… and I regret being unable to tell you more, despite feeling that you are deserving of it." Kronbo rumbled thoughtfully.

Ric was momentarily nonplussed at the deep sorrow in his voice and also the sudden change in the guy's speech pattern. "It's, uhh… we all have secrets, don't we?" he managed, sounding annoyingly lame to his own ears.

The large boulder, however, nodded sagely. "Be very mindful who you share yours with… before long, secrets might be the only defence left to us…"

Ricco lay awake that night, his mind abuzz with puzzling out the meaning behind the Goron's warning. When he awoke early in the morning they had already left, bafflingly silently in the gloom. It would be many weeks before the significance of his words became apparent.

* * *

Link

The sun was already setting, giving the vast, softly rolling grasslands beyond the Ochre belt a magnificent palette of green and golden hues. The endless woods were behind them, giving way to the sheer endless hills and plains with wonderfully aromatic grass wafting gently in the wind, like a complex and intensely beautiful dance between earth and air. These steppes were the habitat of the famously excellent horses of Hyrule, which were one of the country's natural riches. He thought he could see some of them far, far in the distance, but couldn't be sure in the waning light.

A cool wind tousled his hair, doing its best to keep him invigorated. He knew he would absolutely love these lands, with their fascinating distances he had never experienced before… he would… if he weren't so mind-numbingly tired. And that blonde-haired, cutely snoring piece of baggage currently securely strapped to Celeste was of no help either. Zelda had fallen asleep about an hour ago, despite her serious, and almost painful to watch, efforts to keep herself awake. When he had noticed her horse suddenly plod off in a different direction, he had almost come too late to keep her from falling off. Link would have loved to stop right there, but he felt very uncomfortable setting up camp in the middle of the plains, completely exposed to all sides, visible to everybody and everything who might throw a casual glance.

So instead he took his blanket and wrapped it around both Zelda's sleeping body and Celeste's belly, securing one to the other. Thusly secured, his softly smacking princess, who hadn't even bothered waking up during all of this, could be lead to their destination for today, a small copse due north. Link had thought it much closer, but the unfamiliar vastness must have played tricks on his eyes… That, at least, was his excuse for his misjudgement, which had once again lead to forcing poor Zelda on a forced march like this. This guilty conscience, combined with the fact that he didn't fully trust his Princess-Catching-Construction caused him to twist his back in order to look back at her every ten seconds, irritating his still healing wounds until they stung viciously again.

The copse was only minutes away now… hardly more than a narrow strip of a few elm and oak trees, but still infinitely more cover than everything around. A big, hearty yawn escaped him and he rubbed his tired eyes. Goddess, he looked forward to lying down… on his belly, preferably… He hoped that he hadn't torn any stitches... the impeded mobility which came from the cuts was bad enough, but if it healed badly… Zelda might have to re-suture it and he knew that this, despite her admirable determination, would drive her precious heart to near bursting with fear. A soft, tender smile played on his lips and he couldn't resist but look at her again, despite seeing almost nothing but horse. He really should stop getting himself hurt. If she had one character flaw, it was that she thought herself responsible for _everything_. That little fool had stretched herself thin the three days they had allowed themselves to stay in Valewyn. Learning from books, learning from Doctor Rask, caring for him and, apparently, organizing their silent and unhindered exit from the barracks. Link had rather helplessly wondered how they would escape the garrison commander's increasingly urgent questions and how they might secure their horses, their supplies and, ultimately, passage through the north gate… As it turned out, Zelda had already done all that with a tiny bit of help from Lairy and, therefore, the grumbling assistance from the doctor. Apparently he had even given her the precious book that she had been devouring the past few days… Not for the first time he realized that there was something about her, something elusive, yet very powerful, that drew people under her spell, that made them love her…

Still, the overzealous girl had tried to learn everything and be everywhere all at once… Link had noticed how little she slept… always still reading when his healing flesh demanded slumber and, disappointingly, already up when he awoke. Doubtlessly she was still coping with this wrongly, absurdly perceived guilt of hers, but… he was reasonably certain that he had set her back on the right path.

A low hanging branch knocked his head brutally out of his reverie and he only just kept himself from flying off the handle with a torrent of abuses at every ligneous entity and their descendents. Gritting his teeth and rubbing the back of his head he dismounted, nonetheless glad to have finally reached the little grove. He led the horses another ten metres in, then began thinking about how he should unload his most adorable piece of luggage. Keeping one hand on her back for safety, he untied the blanket. "Zelda, sweetling…" he whispered and gave her a gentle kiss on her cheek. "We're here!"

A very faint hum was all he got, but he didn't really need more. Very slowly, so that she could react and wouldn't be startled in her sleepy state he more or less rolled her out of the saddle until she was nestled in his arms. The little blonde angel woke just enough to wrap her arms around his neck and snuggle her face into his chest. Goddess, her adorableness took his breath away… which was a shame, because he couldn't get enough of her scent when he held her this close.

With his dexterity rather hindered by the princess-shaped dumpling in his hands, it took him a while to spread out the blanket with his feet… thank the Three she was so light.

With all the softness he could muster he set her down, then stroked up her arm to signal her that she could let go. She, however, didn't seem to want to…

"Zelda… you can let go now." he whispered, brushing through her slightly ruffled, yet still radiant hair. With her cheek firmly pressed to his chest she shook her head slightly, making a low, disapproving growl.

Link had to giggle and gave her a long, loving peck on the forehead. "Come on… only briefly… I need to see to the horses, hm?" he explained, letting his index finger trace lightly over her cheek.

"Mm-mm!" she hummed, sounding delightfully petulant. "Can wait…" it came mumbling from her mouth.

Dear Nayru's love, now he was torn. Lying down, right now, with her pressed closely to him sounded like the absolutely most compelling idea in all of time and space… how could he possibly say no to such an invitation?! Only a madman would… or a man fearing the terrible, unpredictable and most likely very smelly wrath of Janna the horse.

"You're not making this easy for me, you know…" he complained, chuckling, hating his bloody reasonable brain right now.

"Mm-hm!" she purred, nodding and showing a decidedly self-contented smile.

"You are lucky that you are this cute, you minx!" he gnarled, then, with a wicked smirk, jabbed his finger under her armpit and tickled her without remorse.

A girly squeak and a quick ducking of his head and he was free from the monster's grasp. "No fair!" she pouted and rolled over, presenting him with her back, obviously in punishment.

"I'll be quick, your snuggliness!" he chuckled, cursing his stupidity (or lack thereof) and hoping the she wasn't actually miffed at him.

Celeste and Janna were already stamping around impatiently when Link got back to them. Remove saddlebags, remove saddle, give water and food, rub down… it was all going infuriatingly slowly to his mind! Partly because he was tired, but probably mostly because of not wanting to wait another moment before holding her in his arms again… and being held in hers. At least a decent amount of light still shone through the trees… The sun was low enough that it beamed through the wide gaps between the trunks, and not the canopies.

When everything was finally in order, a sigh of relief escaped his lips and he turned back towards the haphazardly spread out bivouac. However, another surprise awaited his weary eyes…

Zelda, apparently sufficiently awoken by his tickling attack, had finished laying out the mat and was lying right in the centre. And… maybe it was just his exhausted mind playing tricks on him but… her gracile posture, the slightly coquettish grin, the sparkle in her breathtaking eyes… it all seemed terribly… _inviting_!

Subconsciously, he swallowed… The tiny bit of his brain which still worked adequately marvelled at her ability to blast all tiredness from his spirit with nothing but a single look from those two blue oceans of loveliness. The rest of him just marvelled…

"Don't you want to join me?" she asked with a muted voice, a shimmer of red appearing on her nose and cheeks.

'Want' was nowhere near a strong enough word… The sheer force of the desire she had conjured felt enough to level mountains and move continents. Almost of its own accord, his body moved, pulling off his boots so hastily they nearly flew off into the shrubbery, then walking up next to her. He stood there a while longer, unable to wrest his eyes from her stunning beauty… and wanting to savour the sweet torment of being so close yet just out of reach for a few seconds more.

He was breathless just by staring at her… his heart stormed as if he had just fought for his dear life… his fingers trembled and tingled at the thought of being so tantalizingly close to feeling her skin again.

More than anything… her sky-blue eyes shone in the evening light like the purest mountain lakes, becharming his very soul to undying servitude, showing him a silent promise of endless trust and devotion. He knew he would be a slave to these two perfect crystal windows to her anima until the end of time… and no fate had ever sounded as sweet…

* * *

Zelda thought she had waited long enough… While she admittedly enjoyed the entranced, goofy way he looked at her, it was decidedly not enough.

Drawing herself up ever so slightly, she took his hand and pulled ever so gently. She delighted in the way this nimble, strong boy traipsed over, helplessly entrapped before her. He sunk on his knees at her side, his beautiful eyes wide, his delicious lips parted to all his heavy breath to pass, obviously just as heart-stoppingly nervous as she felt. Seeing him like this made her skin tingle in the most fantastical way… it remembered the last time, remembered the feeling of his hands roaming wherever they pleased, all control surrendered to him. Her own fingers remembered as well, recalled the electricity that coursed through them when she had sent them on a journey on their own, exploring him as he did her. And while she had yielded all she had to him, the feeling of his quavering flesh being like putty under her ministrations had been of paramount delight. They had become one, both in charge of either… She yearned to experience this again… Link's beautiful, salving words had brought her spirit out of whatever depths it had caught itself in. But now she needed, she wanted that to feel this wholeness again to mend it completely.

Still guiding his every move, Zelda directed his hand to her cheek, where its warmth caused her to shiver in the most pleasurable way. Her second hand she placed just above his knee… far enough to be still innocent… close enough to be sure to drive him mad. She could see the quiet marvelling in his eyes slowly turn to the almost animalistic hunger that sent currents of fear, excitement and lust through every cell in her body. Goddess, they were on the brink… if none of them stopped now, there would be no return… But why on earth would either of them want to stop?

Finally, the spell that had seemed to hold him broke and he grabbed her behind the head and on her back and pulled her towards him, kissing her with the ferocity of a starved wolf, making her feel weak and strong at the same time. Oh how easy it would be to just surrender to his mouth and hands… she longed for it more than she could put into words… But not right now!

Giggling in pure, eager anticipation she wriggled out of his embrace, only to lunge back at him and press him down to the floor, resuming the so dearly needed contact of their lips instantly.

She could feel his surprise… and his excitement! It reverberated through her, creating an infinite loop of steadily rising thrill, threatening to devour them at any moment. She pushed his hands against the blanket and straddled his belly, immobilizing him under her will. She was not yet ready to relinquish control… Right now, the thought of holding absolute power over this much stronger man, purely because he trusted her completely, caused her no end of arousal. She could feel him melt under her, sensed both his deep relaxation and the marvellous tension she caused in him.

Zelda giggled and squeaked and gasped in anticipation… It drove her out of her mind. Mostly because what she had planned nearly took her breath away and made her head spin with nervousness… and naughtiness. She still had to work up a lot of courage to go on… Thankfully, he was there to give her just that.

Link's mind was very close to being blank from the intense assault on his lips, her intoxicating scent, the ferocity with which she kept him pinned and the warm weight of her lying on his body. If all they did tonight was this, he would be happy… not fulfilled maybe, but happy still.

Occasionally he briefly opened his eyes for just an instant… Somehow he still had trouble believing that all this was no dream, that all this amazing luck was indeed bestowed upon him… and seeing the last few rays of the sun sparkling through her hair, setting it on fire with the most stunning hues of red and gold, gave him just enough faith to go on.

Slowly her hips began to move, very subtly at first, grinding so infuriatingly close to his own groin. Goddesses above, she drove him wild. He wanted to flip her around, to pin her down as well, to rip the clothing from her body and make squeal with magical delight… but it seemed she had a plan… She wanted to be in control and he was rapt to be her plaything.

One of her small, elegant hands left his wrist and travelled straight down to his belly. He gasped, his senses already overtaxed and his nerves taut to their breaking point. Gripping the fabric of his tunic she pulled it upwards with such eagerness that she nearly fell off. Giggling in an adorably child-like way at her own clumsiness, she let go of his mouth, nearly breaking his heart. "Help me, you buffoon!" she whispered in his ear, her delicious breath tickling his skin, sending goosebumps down his arms. Eager to do just that he sat up and with the haste of a desperate man ripped his tunic over his head. Using the moment herself, the very flushed angel undid the topmost button of her blouse, then unceremoniously pulled it off as well.

Seeing her being just as hasty and reckless fanned the flames of his lust even stronger. Already his manhood strained in its confines, begging for release… but seeing the perfect ivory skin of her shoulders, arms and belly nearly sent him hurtling towards a terribly premature goal. Link bit his lips in a hopeless attempt to calm down… he might as well have tried to stop time itself.

His awe was kept short by the girl of his life, as she dove back for yet another, even more wolfish kiss. Her naked skin pressed against his, the tiny hip movements she made, her soft fingers massaging his shoulders… if he had not once before experienced this pure act of bliss with her, he might have thought this heaven on earth…

Zelda felt like her chest was about to burst. It was absolute madness… and she loved it! The feeling of his nude body under hers was as electrifying as she remembered, as magnificent as she had hoped. But she wasn't satisfied… nowhere near.

His hands, no longer held, slowly and tenderly travelled to her waist… holding, supporting… ecstasizing. She wanted those wonderful, beloved hands of his everywhere, just as her fingers yearned to explore every spot of his skin… and not just her fingers…

With the utmost self-restraint she pulled her lips off his, giving him another little nibble or two as solace. She felt brave enough now… and… prurient enough…Zelda felt herself blush, as ridiculous as this was… she hoped he didn't see, as ludicrous as that was… and she hoped he wouldn't be disconcerted… as laughable as that seemed.

Placing a quick peck on his chin she began her nerve-racking track downwards. One for his Adam's apple, one for his lower neck, one for his collar bone… she could feel him tremble with lust under her soft kisses and it provided all the encouragement she needed.

With fingers so quivering it seemed impossible to use them, she traced her hands over his naked chest, past his belly with its tense muscles and all the way down to his pants. She felt his palms squeeze her skin where they held her, not painfully, just firm enough to tell how wild she was driving him.

Undoing his belt seemed to take an eternity and she cursed her clumsiness. Very gently she bit the powerful muscle on his chest, before then showering it once more with kisses. She heard him gasp whenever her inept fingers brushed against the straining hardness hidden behind the damned cloth that refused to follow her bidding. When all pesky seals holding him in were finally opened, she pulled them down with one urgent sweep… and felt him spring free and lightly brush against her belly. Another quavering gasp from her lover's mouth and the sense of his hardness and vividness emboldened her even further.

Tantalizingly slowly she began her travel downwards again... kiss after kiss, nibble after sensual nibble her lips trailed lower and lower… and lower…

Link didn't know what to do… all his senses were hopelessly overcharged, his mouth was dry, his chest was heaving… and she just didn't stop! Was she really…?! Did she actually…?! Dear goddesses in heaven…

His fingers brushed over the smooth skin of her belly, then her chest as she progressed ever further, tormenting him with kiss after kiss until all of his body seemed to burn with excitement. He didn't know what to do… could he really let this happen? Was she even doing what he thought about, or was it just his perverted fantasies that ravaged his brain? But if… if she truly was... The mere thought threatened to cause him to explode in lustful climax right then and there!

But… it also caused him worry… he hadn't pressured her into this, had he? He wasn't forcing her into doing something, was he?

No… he had never said anything regarding this… Frankly, he wouldn't have dared to. And she had been control from the very start… This was her doing, her will… This was his infinitely precious, beautiful, magnificent angel who managed to always astound him anew every day.

Link relaxed… a bit… He still had no idea how to react… But… maybe he didn't have to know… maybe, once again, they both would simply understand even after their meddling brains had been banned to be a mere spectator. And who knew? Maybe this would open the doors for other… experiments?

Her lips had found his bellybutton and… dear goddess…

Zelda more than relished the boundless excitement she sensed building up within him… and she knew she had reached the goal of her journey when he tensed up so much she felt the muscles in his abdomen turn rock hard.

She could feel him against her chin… dear Nayru's mercy, her heart raced as if it meant to run away! Was she mad? Definitely! Naughty? Absolutely! Did it fill her with so much vibrating exhilaration that she felt maximally alive? Unquestionably! Plus, judging by his reactions, up until now she was doing just fine… she had felt him right at the breaking point multiple times, without ever having touched him down there directly! The realization of just how much power she had over him made her giggle like a lunatic.

She knew he was probably watching her, marvelling and wondering how it was possible that she chose to do such a thing… But the answer was so very simple: To thank him, to show him her love, because it made her feel wonderful to see him to utterly lost in an ocean of pleasure… in short, because she wanted to!

Zelda couldn't help herself and shot him a mischievous grin that was sure to set his brain on fire.

Then, finally, she kissed him where her lewd mind had remained for longer than she cared to admit. The soft, helpless little whimper her Link responded with was the sweetest reward she could hope for. After her lips had left him again, she looked at his manhood more closely than she had previously dared. It lay nearly flat on his belly, pulsing, alive and inviting. Thoughts that, with anyone else, would have seemed repulsive were now appealing, arousing… natural even. Everything of his was hers, just as everything of hers was his… and every spot of him deserved her undying love… and she was eager to give it.

Her first little kiss had been little more than the lightest brush of her lips on his sensitive skin… Now she planned for something quite more aggressive. Sending another mind-numbing glance up at him, she lowered her face once more, but made her mouth just miss it, kissing his sparse hairs instead, her cheek brushing against it not at all accidentally. Then the other side, another miss… she knew she must be driving him absolutely insane, but, she silently promised him, she would do her best to make it worth it. Truly, she had absolutely no idea what she was doing… Her own brain was little more than a jittery pudding of nerves, barely keeping her lust in check. But last time everything had worked out, hadn't it?

Goddess, his scent… masculine, clean, deeply alluring… it was stronger here than anywhere else on him… it rippled through her body and mind, sending surges of liquid fire from head to toe with every breath.

Her resistance was spent… the next kiss was on his wonderful hardness, right at the base, long and intense, her nose brushing back and forth over it, taking every opportunity to sample his magnificent bouquet. The next one was aimed a little higher, just above the first… the third higher still, slowly making her way towards the tip.

"Zelda… oh goddess…" he whimpered and moaned, writhing under her lips, groaning in powerless ecstasy at every tender nibble she bestowed. She knew he was lost… lost in an inescapable labyrinth of pleasure, a place of her design, filling her with childish pride and unbridled lust. And slowly but surely he was nearing the centre of the labyrinth… and she would be there, awarding him his prize.

Ever higher she travelled, occasionally letting her tongue trail a little back the way she had already passed. His panting was quickening… she knew he must be close… Zelda toyed with the thought of tormenting him a tiny while longer, but decided against such cruelty. Her own body and soul craved his release just as much as his…

Her soft, gentle lips reached the tip, a last, much more passionate kiss would lead to both their reward. A smooth nibble, a tiny bit of pull on his apex…

The high, crumbling dams of pleasure burst with one earth-shattering surge, drowning Link in wave after wave of violent, convulsive orgasm, his knees and hips bending involuntarily, dragging her body back closer to his delightfully senseless face. She could feel his spasming muscles on her belly, as well as his manhood shooting stream after stream between them. She didn't mind, why would she? It had been her doing after all…

Zelda watched his features which she loved so much contort to delicious grimaces of pleasure, each wave of ecstasy bringing a new one.

When slowly his climax subsided, she was little disappointed, but mostly immensely pleased. She playfully rested her cheek on his chest and waited until he was back to his senses… Relief, too, was certainly among her feelings… She had, naturally, been most concerned that whatever she was going to do might turn out off-putting to him… or possibly even playful… As per usual, purely theoretic discussions about such a topic with her cousin Sally were not enough to allow you to truly grasp… anything! ...Goddess, Sally would laugh maliciously if she could see her now… and Zelda would die of embarrassment.

Finally, his beautiful deep-blue eyes found hers… and judging by his immediate crimson blushing her playful smile had just the effect she wanted.

"Already back?" she cooed, feeling, to her delight, his manhood slowly begin to swell once more.

He just nodded… 'Seems like I blasted his mind cleanly away!' she thought, feeling a blush of her own.

"Would you like… another?" she tentatively asked, much of her boldness turning to sheepish devotion under his affectionate gaze.

"I could… you know… do the same…" he offered, his handsome face going from crimson to dark red.

Goddess above, wasn't that an enticing proposal… something she had silently hoped for, but probably wouldn't have dared to ask. Still…

"No…" she whispered and moved towards him so she could kiss him as deeply and tenderly as she ever had. "Tonight is only about you, my sweet prince!" she mumbled feeling almost overwhelmed with emotion.

"But… why?" Link asked, visibly confused.

"Because I want it so…" she simply replied and kissed him again and he asked no further.

Zelda was about to once again start on her journey down, but two strong, gently hands stopped her and caressed her cheeks.

"I would… much rather look into your eyes… when we…" he muttered. Her heart melted at his gaze, so full of unmistakable love and caring. Tears threatened to invade her eyes, so moved was she by his sentiment. Naturally, she wanted this more than anything…

In a surge of raw, unmarred emotion she lunged back at him, burying him in one passionate kiss after the other. The distracted, yet hasty way they shed the rest of their clothes was a testament to their persistent arousal.

When their first joining was wild and unbridled like a flaming inferno, today it was more akin to a roaring bonfire… no less fierce and intense, but more controlled, more by design…

Not another word was uttered for the rest of the night… none were needed. Even if Zelda had still been able to speak as he parted her, sending them both through thunderstorms of lust and pleasure, she wouldn't have wasted her breath on speaking. Instead she thought, but only one thing, repeatedly.

'I love you… I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you' with every wave of pure, sparkling, sensational bliss that coursed through her every cell she reiterated it in her mind. She wished from the bottom of her heart that he could feel it, sense but a fraction of the words that flew in such a, unadulterated, elementary through her very soul. Zelda thought he could… every time she thought it she believed she could see a sparkle in his perfect eyes…

* * *

 **So... what do you think? I went a tad more... saucy with this, but not overly so, I think... Don't worry, this will not turn more and more into a mere kink-fest, there is a definitive limit to how far I want to take this. But, I thought, why not let them progress in this area of their lives as well?**

 **Thoughts? Worries? Criticisms?**


	46. Chapter 45

**Hey guys! And possibly girls, I don't know…**

 **Merry Christmas, first of all!**

 **Don't have all too much to say about this one, except that I'm really glad that I finally found time to work on it. The problem with being the rookie is that, naturally, you get to have all the tastiest nightshifts during the holidays… Oh well…**

 **Enjoy and have fun!**

Chapter 45

Zelda

'My bum hurts…'

Not much else was going through her mind currently, as there was very little that it could busy itself with… The sixth day of riding north-east-ish, first 4 days close to a "road" over increasingly rough terrain and now a day and a half branching off straight into wilderness. 5 and a half days of sitting in the saddle, your brain in that trancelike state between carefully directing the horse through the safest spots and complete mindlessness. She began to suspect that a boy's skin was made of entirely different stuff, as Link showed almost no signs of discomfort… how utterly unfair! Granted, had she always travelled on horseback instead of well-cushioned carriages, her plight might now be considerably less… chafing. And since there was so little here to take her mind off of her smarting rump, she felt every… single… one… of Celeste's steps. Her well-spoken and noble knight would probably remark that she had her mind up her own posterior… A tiny smirk crept around her lips… she'd much rather have her head somewhere else, she thought while throwing poorly concealed glances at her protector, whose hair had grown out enough over the last 3 weeks that he had to bind it in a ponytail. And holy goddess of infinite wisdom, did that ever suit him! When you thought he couldn't get any cuter…

A particularly sharp sting yanked her out of her reverie and right back into the saddle. Din's fire, how was she going to survive the next hours?! It's only noon! Ugh… this would be another night where sleeping on her belly would be her only option…

"How far do you think we are?" she asked, mostly to take her mind off of… things. He glanced back at her for a second, puzzled slightly. It had been a rather pointless question as they both knew their position on the map pretty well.

"One and a half days into uncharted territory… two to three days away from our goal, or where we assume our goal to be, at least…" he explained after a moment's thought. He raised his eyebrow at her quizzically. "Something on your mind?"

Great… now she had to think of something so she wouldn't appear like a complete dolt in front of him… "We should be relatively close to that elusive line that no other expedition seemed to have crossed, right?" Zelda managed, rather pleased with her quick improvisation.

"Hmm… I think so, yes…" he pondered. "Well, the one chronicled expedition we could find… and they didn't mention what exactly made them turn back…" He turned back in his saddle to watch where Janna was going. That was another problem with riding, especially over rough terrain. Conversations were always a bit awkward, as you could never really look at each other… and when they finally stopped for the night, they were both too tired for the kind of interlocution she so loved to have with him. From pointlessly shallow to deep and philosophical… Hopefully they could have a few days off when this first leg of their journey was done…

But damn it, she wanted his attention right now! She felt a bit like a spoiled child, but the crushing force of boredom won over her fear of being obnoxious. "Is it just me or is this forest getting thicker with every passing minute?"

"Definitely just you and your wild imagination." he replied with perfect dryness, shooting her a wry smirk. She chose to answer with a challenging pout. Of course he had caught her questioning the blatantly obvious as the ploy that it was… Why was his mind as sharp despite the unbelievable drabness of the past couple of days?! Her own head felt so painfully underutilized that every thought seemed to come crawling sluggishly through a thick cotton-wool ball…

"No, you're right… I am a bit worried about that, actually…" he finally continued.

"About what, precisely?" she prompted, glad that he indulged her a bit.

"Firstly, if it gets any denser, we will start to have problems making our way through it… Maybe that was actually the reason that expedition had to turn back! If you have to cut your way through the underbrush, that about halves your rate of progress… We, too, might have to turn back, else our provisions run out… and I have yet to spot any game larger than a squirrel…"

Zelda thought about it… a problem, definitely… however, thinking about it let her arrive at the solution to a different conundrum: why his mind had stayed keen during their trudge. While she hadn't thought further than her own nose... or, rather, her own buttocks… for days now, he must have been constantly revising their plans, calculating their resources and travel distance and correcting their navigation… All she had done on the other hand was simply letting Celeste follow Janna while silently complaining to herself about the heavy burden of tedium… Din's fire, right now, she was immensely glad that he had his face turned… she was probably beet red with shame at her thoughtless inactivity. 'Do I need my bloody ladies in waiting to make light conversation so that I can escape o so dreadful ennui? Do something, princess! Work your mind, think about ways to improve your situation! It's not like we sorely lack mysteries that need solving in this looming calamity! Don't let him figure it all out!' she yelled chidingly at herself, both annoyed and strangely amused at her lethargy. Well, she knew what she'd be doing from now on when boredom threatened to claim her thoughts… She couldn't let him do all the work, could she? She couldn't let him bloody win!

A vague and playful sense of competitiveness revitalized her thoughts and seemed to clear the sludge of sloth from the folds of her brain.

"And secondly?" she asked, finding even greater joy in talking now.

He took a few seconds to answer, long enough for her to wonder whether he had even heard her. "Secondly…" he finally responded, "This higher density is… not ideal for our chance at staying clear of monsters… especially Bokoblins." He shifted uncomfortably in his saddle. He was obviously struggling with himself about whether and how he should relay this sobering notion. But despite her already feeling the creeping tendrils of worry slithering into her mind, she thought highly of him for being honest and not wasting time with pointless attempts at sparing her.

"Go on…" she prompted, wanting to give him the opportunity to share his thoughts and lighten the load.

"Bokos are most at home in thick forests… their small, compact stature and surprising strength makes their bodies ideal at moving through tight underbrush, hounding larger prey in groups… not unlike feral pigs they somewhat resemble… Some even theorized a close biological relation, I believe… although…" he chuckled lowly, "I'm sure I'm hardly telling you something new…"

It was true, Zelda thought, there were quite a few theories about possible common ancestry… She had read many… absolute, unscientific nonsense, every last one!

"So, what you are saying is, we are moving deeper and deeper into Hyrule's most prevalent monster's favoured terrain, at a time when attacks by said monster seem to be ever increasing…" she outlined, sighing.

"Exactly…" he confirmed, throwing her a lopsided smile that seemed to convey something between encouragement and an apology. As if it were his fault…

"Still…" Zelda mused aloud, feeling the all little cogs in her brain returning to their usual activity at last. "…as you said, we have yet to see game of any sort… any group of Bokoblin, whose primary food source is meat after all, would be in dire straits in these woods. I don't think that many could survive here…"

Link turned around fully for a few seconds, gazing into her eyes with an expression of surprise at first, then a sort of beaming admiration that made her chest swell with pride… and her cheeks flush with awkwardly sweet sheepishness. "That is a very good point…" he freely admitted. "Maybe I needn't worry quite so much then…"

"Or…" she interjected earnestly, her finger raised for dramatic tension. "…there could be so many of the hideous swine around that they have eaten this whole stretch of land barren… both equally possible."

Now that had been downright nasty… which, of course, meant she relished it greatly! And the very short-lived expression of shock on his delightful face, before he realized that she was only teasing, elicited an almost witch-like cackle.

"True… we've probably been completely surrounded for two days now, mere moments away from death… I wonder whom they will devour first, the incredibly appetizing princess or her lowly, oft tormented subject?" he shot back with an impish glint in his eyes.

"Interesting question… Hopefully they try to work their way to the truly delectable dish through you… In that case, I would have a chance to survive, as the resulting emesis would undoubtedly incapacitate them for a good hour or two." Zelda explained in her best academic voice.

"I am sure you are right…" he answered, equally serious and unfazed. "After all, you too seem to experience a certain amount of gagging whenever you attempt to devour me!"

And then, with one last, incredibly mischievous grin, he spurred his horse on and fled in a panicky, uncontrollably giggling haste.

And rightly so… "You dirty…" she began when her initial stupefaction waned. "…rotten…" she yelled while egging Celeste on to follow suit. "…bastard!" she screamed at the top of her lungs, breathless between virtuous fury and almost hysterical giggling fits.

"Din's hellfire, you better hope the Bokoblins catch you before I do!" she roared, the threat somewhat nullified by her still incredulous laughter. That utter pig of a runt! Their nightly activities had, till now, not found their way into their regular conversations… and their rather explosive entry into that territory right now had, not for the first time, brought forth their incredibly embarrassing, yet still deliciously ecstasizing nature. Zelda knew her face must radiate a fiery red, and not from the exertion of riding. They hadn't done… well… they hadn't very often in the last weeks… irritatingly… Most of the time they simply were too tired, due to travelling, her studying, and Link's training of both her and himself. So… they were still an awkward, helplessly giggling mess when they were… together.

And now, to just… say something this utterly, _utterly_ disconcerting… Dear goddess above! Even with no-one around she wanted the ground to swallow her whole! Actually, no. "May the bloody ground open up and devour _you_ , you indiscreet, filthy cur of an upstart!" she yell-chuckled while still in hot pursuit… and gaining! She still was the better rider! By Din's might, she would catch him, drag him screaming from his mount and then, fuelled by righteous fury, would do unspeakable, excruciating things to him as her terrible vengeance… What precisely these things were, she was, as of yet, unsure… Still, despite their aforementioned inexperience, she already knew a few things that seemed to work quite well as… 'punishment'.

"Zelda! Stop, STOP!" his voice rang urgently through the dense vegetation ahead. The startled tone of his shout made her obey immediately and luckily so! Celeste's last few canter-steps broke through the forest edge, shortly after which the ground… ended.

"Oh…" she uttered, dumbfounded at the sudden sheer drop less then five metres ahead of her.

"Oh indeed…" Link replied at her side. His face had gone rather pale… he must have come quite a bit closer to taking a very unexpected tumble…

With one last look at each other they both dismounted and carefully edged closer to what had almost been an abrupt stop to their adventure, not to mention their lives.

An enormous gorge split the land, spanning dozens of kilometres to the left and right and approximately 25 metres across. Zelda shuddered at the thought of plunging down the dreadfully endless looking ravine, watching the rough looking rock zoom past her at ever increasing speed and seeing the unforgiving ground race right at her… She couldn't even say how deep the eerie cleft was… the impossible straightness of its walls and the odd haze inside it seemed to play tricks on her eyes… At least a hundred metres, though… If she listened hard, she thought she could hear the rush of water down there, but even of that she wasn't sure…

"Well… I think we now can stop speculating what it was that caused the previous expedition to abandon their mission…" Link opined after about a minute of silent staring, carrying an expression that looked about as baffled as she felt. Zelda nodded with a helpless little laugh. She wrested her gaze away from the morbidly fascinating depths to inspect the other side. The forest seemed to simply continue with similar density as if nothing had disturbed its growth, the odd tree-root sticking out of the cliff like mangled arms trying to grab for the other side.

A gust of wind twisted through it, piercing the relative silence with a high, sharp wail that seemed close and distant at once. Zelda's hairs seemed to stand on end, though she couldn't quite put her finger on why that was… Curious, she lay down flat on the sparse grass and moved forward just enough so she could look straight down. Sometimes she was convinced that she could see the bottom, blurred and wraithlike… then, a second later, there was only the mist hanging in the air… When she looked to the left and right, only more puzzles seemed to present themselves. An unhappy frown snuck onto her features.

"What is it, Zelda?" Link asked from behind her. When she glanced back, she saw that he, quietly as a cat, had moved so he was ready to catch her, should anything happen. A tiny smile played around her lips…

"It's all… wrong… or strange, at least…" she began as she stood back up. He inclined his head, signalling that he was listening intently. She liked when he did that…

"Well, I'm no geologist, but… What is that gorge doing here? The land is still pretty flat… and it doesn't look like a canyon dug by a river… I mean, look at it! It's impossibly straight, you can see along it for untold kilometres… and it's sides are completely vertical! It looks…" she paused, frowning because she wasn't sure whether she was about to say something stupid. "…it looks like this land has been… ripped apart?" She eyed him quizzically, hoping he might have answers, any at all, to the many questions she had. "I just don't think a ravine like this should be here…"

He took a while to answer, inspecting the rocky cliffs once more, obviously pondering hard. "I'm sorry to say that I can't really add anything to your thesis… other than that it does indeed look ridiculously out of place." Not the illumination she had wished for, but it wasn't like she could offer any herself. At least he had given her confirmation that she wasn't just talking rubbish.

"I just can't explain this bloody thing! It's almost like it was deliberately placed her to hinder us!" she blustered, feeling personally affronted by the uncooperative piece of geography.

"Well, professor, despite you making an excellent point, the gorge seems woefully unperturbed by your attempt to explain it away…" he teased, putting a gently caressing hand on the back of her neck.

She shot him an eyebrow-intensive pout-smile that clearly conveyed what she thought of his cleverness at the moment. Still, his little massage she graciously accepted.

"Hmm…" her companion hummed, his lips pursed. While it didn't aid their predicament in any way at all, she was still a bit glad that he seemed to be just as lost as she felt. "I think, after this little scare, we can be excused for taking the afternoon off from travelling… wouldn't you say? We have made very good progress the last week…" he said and gave her an encouraging smile.

She thought it over, a bit torn between a bit of comfort for once and the feeling that, somehow, they would let this cursed ravine beat them, should they choose to rest. "True… we have been quite assiduous… but… I mean, we could try to go along the thing, try to find a way across, if you want…"

'Bloody hell!' the ever present critic in her head yelled at her. 'He's giving you an opportunity to rest your sore rear, so bloody take it, you fool!' Zelda bit her lip. She really did hope that their journey would be at an end for today…

"Mmm-no. I can't see anything resembling a bridge for many kilometres. If there is anything, we wouldn't reach it today. Let's take the time to think about our course of action, hm?" His smile was kind… and knowing.

"Hm!" she nodded, giving him a smile in return. She, too, could see that he was not opposed to a half-day of respite. The training regimen he had set for himself was harsh, in her opinion. She most certainly didn't want him to overdo it and cause harm to his health in the end. She needed his energy in more ways than one…

Preparations for the night's lodgings were quickly made. Zelda was already comfortably sitting on their mat, lost in her treasured medicinal handbook, currently in her third time ploughing through it. The more she learned and the more she understood, the more rewarding her studying felt, peeling through the many layers of the science to get an ever increasing insight on the workings of the body. While on one hand she utterly dreaded the thought that somebody's health depended solely on her inadequate skills, she, on the other, itched to try some of the mixtures and recipes. Some of them, when you thought about it, were most definitely not intended for public knowledge… which, naturally, only made them that much more interesting. And here she was, surrounded on all sides by fascinating herbs and critters… and with such a healthy and willing test-subject, all to herself. Good thing said guinea-pig couldn't see her face right now… the smile on her features must be downright diabolic!

Her blessedly unaware boyfriend was currently rummaging around the bushes, close enough that she could still hear him. Judging by the sound of his steps, he was already on his way back, heavily laden with firewood. While the days were still warm, September certainly had made its influence felt and the nights could get surprisingly chilly. Zelda most certainly didn't mind. So far, the only thing that autumnal circumstance had brought was that she and Link could snuggle throughout the night without at some point being forced to push the other away to avoid gradual heat-death… a sad affair all around.

A very loud clatter signalled Link's return. Judging by the sound alone, they should have enough wood to fuel a modestly sized bonfire. Suppressing a little giggle, Zelda felt herself reminded of the one time she had insisted on gathering firewood herself so he could start preparing a pheasant he had shot. When she returned, he had been of the opinion that the amount she had collected in the sweat of her brow was, to put it mildly, hilariously insufficient. She could still see the look of confusion on his face, turning slowly to infuriating merriment as his eyes darted back and forth between her meagre heap to the swiftly vanishing pride on her features. When he had then burst out in a massive laughing fit, the cur, she had been more than tempted to belt him over the head with a log. Vexingly, when he giggled so heartily, any ire she might have mustered was nipped in the bud… and so, her wood-gathering honour had been lost forever. His pheasant, however, had still been delectable, despite the momentary lapse in sobriety.

His lithe steps were drawing close… When he was standing right behind her, the skin on her neck and back turned both hot and cold in anticipation of his touch… a sensation that, to her delight, was still replayed in all its loveliness whenever he was near.

He settled down so she was sitting between his legs, his strong arms wrapped her belly in a gentle embrace and the reassuring weight of his head pressed against her shoulder. A contented sigh escaped him, making her smile, and she leaned back to snuggle her back against his chest. Goddess, she loved when he was holding her like this… no danger, no elusive threat, no insecurity seemed to be able to penetrate the wonderfully warm, protective cocoon of his presence. He very tenderly and silently kissed the entire length of her ear, before settling his chin on her shoulder again. The only grave disadvantage of this position was her inability to kiss him back.

"Not a bad vista, don't you think?" his soft, pleasant voice sounded next to her ear.

She wrested her eyes from the book, a tiny bit surprised, as the thought of this damned gorge being a thing of beauty hadn't crossed her mind. Still, he wasn't wrong… From their sitting point of view they could only see the sudden, intriguing stop in geography, the return of the dense virgin forest on the other side and the vague, sunlit shimmer of high mountains far, far beyond them. It wasn't the sort of panorama that might make a painter twitch for his brushes, but it did hold a certain fascination… an underlying promise of the unknown and of adventure.

"Makes you want to explore, doesn't it?" he added, stating accurately what she had been thinking.

"Makes you want to find a way across, first…" she remarked in humorous laconism, smiling to herself.

His head bumped chidingly into hers. "Spoilsport!" he chuckled.

"Hopeless romantic!" she shot back, leaning even further into his hug, so he supported all her weight. He shifted a bit so he could hold her more comfortably and his leg brushed against one of the sore spots on her posterior… one of the many.

"Ow…" she squeaked, despite herself.

"Hm?" he wordlessly asked. "Something wrong?"

"Mm-mmh. Just some parts of my delicate, silky-smooth skin are a tad galled by riding." she reported with a generous dose of self-mockery.

"Oh no!" he exclaimed with his best 'talking-to-small-children-or-animals' voice. "What dreadful torment must you suffer! Bring ointment for the royal buttocks!" he shouted to their imaginary servants.

"And while you're at it, fetch my pesky underling's muzzle!" she yelled right after them.

She couldn't say how long they were like this, giggling at first, then silent, in perfect comfort in each other's presence. This miraculous sense of calm and belonging he made her feel was possibly what she cherished the most… The sound of his steady breaths, and their warmth on her skin, was, without a doubt, the most soothing sensation. It didn't help with her concentration on Doctor Rask's handbook… normally an unforgivable offence, but… under these circumstances, she was willing to make a clement exception.

The minutes passed sluggishly into hours, but she didn't mind at all. She knew he was reading with her over her shoulder… by now he probably knew a good bit of the book as well. Occasionally they would have animating discussions about ingredients, preparations or treatments… she providing more theoretical knowledge, he interposing more practical considerations. Zelda was convinced that these conversations contributed greatly to their deeper understanding of the matter, in addition to her profound love of arguing with him.

A piercing shriek cut through the silence like a searing blade through flesh. Link was up in an instant, weapons at the ready, his face grim with concentration. Zelda's heart pounded, startled violently from tranquillity to face the unknown. Her eyes darted to and fro as she scrambled to retrieve her rapier, unable to tell where the shrill sound had come from. He, too, was listening intently… if his sharp ears couldn't detect anything, she knew she had no chance.

Quiet returned hesitantly, deceptively… the brittle harmony of the moment shattered by the ear-stinging screech. Soundlessly he turned around to look at her, wondering, thinking. Sadly, she had no answers to give him… It hadn't been a bird, of that she was sure… frankly, it hadn't sounded natural at all!

Link's head whipped back around. He darted further towards the rift so he had a more unobstructed view and… he watched the sky!

Zelda hastened to his side, watching with him… the sun stood low in the west, so she had to shield her eyes. But now… there was a sound… like a thousand tiny knives cutting through the air… Wings!

"There!" Link suddenly cried, making her jump. It took a few more seconds, but then she saw it: A dark swarm, flying low above the canopy, but drawing closer fast. An ominous feeling crept over her skin like a swarm of insects… They were still much too far away to see any detail, but somehow it seemed… wrong.

Without letting the approaching imminence out of his severe eyes, her protector drew his bow and loosely nocked an arrow. "He's being chased…" he mumbled through tightened lips.

Zelda didn't ask what he meant, so not to disturb his focus. It took another endless ten seconds before his meaning became clear. A Rito, young, judging by his size, was flying in front of the swarm, his wings flapping like mad, fear written clearly in the hasty, precipitate way he fluttered about.

"Oh no…" she breathed, sensing the blind, ice-cold terror of the fleeing youth creeping into her mind. Now she also saw what was chasing him: not birds, but hundreds of leathery, beclawed wings, not unlike bats, but with wiry, scaly bodies and glowing yellow eyes. Keese! But in daylight?!

They were gaining… there was no telling how long the poor youngling had already been hounded, but his or her strength was probably failing. They had to do something quickly!

"Give me a window, come on…" Link whispered beside her, drawing his bow and aiming. They weren't flying directly at the two of them, but from the current angle he didn't have a clear shot. The risk of hitting the wrong target was still too great.

Two more seconds passed in breathless anticipation. Then…

There! The child swerved to the right in an attempt to evade his attacker and not a moment later Link loosed his arrow. Zelda couldn't say how long she watched the projectile fly, her nails digging into the palms of her hands… Only that it seemed impossibly long, the shot unthinkably far.

Finally it pierced the compact cloud of claws and teeth. It fell back into the woods, something clearly stuck to its tip. The swarm exploded outward, crooked wings flapping wildly in confusion, swooping every which way for a just a second, any semblance of order lost… Then, another piercing wail, a dreadful lot closer, made both her and her master-marksman slap their hands over their ears. The chaos of fangs and scales consolidated in an instant, resuming the merciless chase.

They had bought the Rito a tiny bit of time, but little more… and Zelda now clearly felt the searing burn in his chest and the sting in his arms. That second he had gained would be among his last!

Link shot a second arrow… his eyes were hard, his jaw clenched… he, too, realized that he had, at best, delayed the inevitable. But he wasn't about to give up!

The missile hit its mark once more, however the vicious cloud dispersed far less than previously, but continued its ruthless hunt with even greater speed.

Her protector continued to loose arrow after arrow, always halting the swarm's progress for a split second to gain time, but it was a losing battle.

Something, though, had forced itself into Zelda's appalled mind… a presence other than the Rito's… sinister, keen and bloodthirsty. The keese were animals, their egos were tiny… but something had them in its grasp… And whenever Link's shot sowed panic in the bat-like creatures' ranks, this something was forced to tighten its leash on their little spirits… Those where the moments when she could feel it, barely, distorted as if it were hidden behind a dozen thick veils of illusion.

Despite her rising fear for the poor boy, she forced her soul to be calm, tried to remember the soothing exercises her sweet Link had devised for her… Nothing they had tried so far had been able to coax even a tiny glimmer of magic from her… all attempts had failed in the most unspectacular ways… as in: nothing had ever happened. But this, finding a presence and perceiving their senses and thoughts as her own, this was something she had always been able to do, most often despite her attempts to keep them out.

She focused on all that disgusted her to her very core, malice, thirst for violence, letting them be a channel that led her to her prey. And this vile monster would fall prey to her will, this villain that would delectate in hounding a helpless child!

Another arrow sniped one of the hundreds, scattering them in fear once more.

This was the moment!

Zelda, without knowing how, lashed out with her mind, fuelled by righteous anger… and found it!

Her wrathful onslaught pierced the creature's deception and bored into its repulsive, cowardly core. With grim satisfaction she felt its profound shock at her sudden presence and its confusion at being under attack itself.

So shaken was it that, just for a moment, its cloak of illusion faltered and she could finally see its true shape: Black as night, long limbs as thin and frail as twigs… strong, dark, leathery wings… a gaping, lipless maw, riddled with rows upon rows of teeth… a true horror of the night!

Pain! Searing pain shot through her soul and disrupted the hold she had over it. The Keese had caught up and a vicious claw had bored into the young Rito's leg. Soon they'd all be upon him!

"No!" she screamed helplessly, fearing her meagre help had come too late. But Link had reacted immediately once the new, obvious threat had revealed itself. Changing aim in an instant he loosed on the nightmarish monster. For a breathless moment she feared it would once again vanish or evade the attack…

The arrow pierced the narrow chest of the disgusting filth, knocking it back violently. It shrieked in agony, long and drawn out, loud enough that Zelda screamed as her ears rang in sharp pain. The cloud of Keese erupted to all sides, fleeing as if all the terror of the world were centred on the screeching monstrosity. Her hands still firmly clamped on her ears, she looked back up, catching one last glimpse of the creature as it staggered away, its wing beat weak but still sufficient, before it turned invisible once more.

"Fuck!" Link hissed beside her. He dropped his bow and sprinted forward and she could see why… The boy was spent, it was obvious. Still 20 metres in the air and precariously close to the gorge, he was falling, only barely slowed by his last feeble flaps. He no longer had any control over his descent and, to her stomach-clenching horror, she saw that he drifted over the edge.

"To me!" Link roared, arms waving as he darted towards the precipice. "One last stroke towards me! You can do it!"

Despite close to fainting from exhaustion, the Rito seemed to hear him. With a weak squawk he managed one ultimate, saving flap… then he fell.

Zelda, running after her protector, saw him catch the boy and being thrown off his feet by his weight. For a nerve-splitting second she thought he, too, might have gotten hurt, but no… she would have felt…

Her hero moved free of the heaving boy, immediately propping him up and supporting his body so he might breathe freely. When she finally reached the two, the poor lad was gasping for air in great, irregular sobs, tears and snot pouring from him as sheer panic still made his eyes roll madly and forced his arms and legs to flail in uncomprehending search for aid.

As soon as she got close he reached for her, desperate to cling to anything remotely stable as his head must be spinning from ungraspable fatigue. She took his hand and held them firmly. Link, standing behind him to hold him in a sitting position, put a calming hand on his head. "Shhh… breathe! In… out… in… out…" he spoke calmly, providing a steady rhythm and a soothing voice he might focus on.

It took a dreadful, endless-seeming minute, but slowly the ragged, hysterical gulps became controlled, deep intakes of air, only interrupted by the desperate sobs of both lingering fear and immense relief.

"It's alright…" Zelda cooed, inwardly shaking her head at the utter stupidity of that phrase. "It's over… the things are long gone. You've made it!" She gave his arms a reassuring squeeze. It was all she could do not to burst into tears herself, seeing this child claw its way painfully back from the brink of madness. He couldn't be older than 12, his light grey plumage still had the infantile wooliness in some places, but mostly it looked adult. She noticed the trickle of blood coming from his leg… she would have to see to that, but only when he had calmed down sufficiently. The poor boy probably didn't even feel it at the moment.

It took a good five minutes of support and soothing words until, at last, his breath had calmed and his features had lost the heart-wrenching expression of mindless fright.

"Better? Are you alright?" A stupid thing to ask, she thought about herself… but there was nothing better.

The lad swallowed heavily. "I think… I'm gonna be sick…" he uttered, his voice still a child's, but on the cusp of maturing.

Link gently patted his shoulder. "I'm surprised you haven't been yet… you're a tough old poultry!" he said sincerely, mixing the rather discourteous term with a genuine praise.

The boy gave a huffing laugh, somewhere between an indignant snort and the hysterical giggle of someone who had all too narrowly escaped death's grasp. Zelda could feel that he was fighting with his tears, born both of stress and relief, which he didn't want to show…

"What is your name?" she asked, smiling gently and letting go of his hands.

"Veneli…" he managed through a tightly shut beak. He looked down at himself… now that the initial shock had passed, the pain on his calf must be taking the centre stage.

"Veneli, listen! The wound on your leg isn't bad, but I need to look at it nonetheless. Our camp is just thirty metres away. Would you like us to carry you over?" she asked, then kicked herself inwardly, knowing that she shouldn't have given the adolescent boy such a subjectively demeaning choice.

And, of course, he shook his head, carefully. "No… I'll walk…" he decided and tenderly moved to stand up.

The poor boy didn't get very far as the pain from moving his leg and the lingering exhaustion made him wobble before he even straightened himself. He closed his eyes and his stomach visibly heaved, but he managed to keep it down.

"It's okay." Link calmed him almost fatherly. "There's no need to be overly brave any more… you have shown your strength plenty today, Veneli. And you cannot impress us any more than you already have, alright?"

The Rito youngling thought about it for a few seconds, still busy trying to maintain order in his innards. In the end, he nodded, accepting the assistance.

Without hesitation, her caring hero picked the lad up and carried him back to the camp. The light had gone considerably dimmer… thankfully he had understood without a word from her and he quickly ignited a small fire while she prepared her utensils… she really hoped it would be enough…

The boy was lying on his stomach, as the injury was on the backside of his calf. Hardly three minutes passed before they were both ready to see to his health, yet he had already fallen asleep.

"Unsurprising…" Link mumbled. Zelda could only nod in agreement… sleeping was probably the healthiest thing to do after such an ordeal. The wound, thankfully, proved to be little more than a scratch. She had no trouble cleaning and bandaging it… all the while her patient didn't even so much as twitch.

"Out like a Goron after a hot bath…" her love mumbled mildly, smiling, but with sympathy and worry swirling in his deep-blue eyes. "His leg?"

"A scratch. Long, but thankfully not deep." She answered, storing bandages and medicinal alcohol back in her case.

He nodded, relieved. Then concern soured his handsome features once more. "Do you know what in Din's name this creature was?"

She hesitated, trying to re-envision the horrid monstrosity that would so mercilessly pursue an innocent child. The memory of its soulless, glowing eyes combined with the glimpse of unfathomable blackness when she had touched its mind sent cold shivers down her spine. "Honestly, I had hoped you might know…" she raised her eyes questioningly towards his.

Unfortunately, he just shook his head in regret. "No… I have never seen or heard of anything that I could associate with that thing." he muttered, clearly unhappy with his conclusion.

"It's also unlike anything I have ever read about. It felt… alien somehow… and old… ancient even!" she explained, trying to fit her thoughts into accurate words.

"It _felt_?" Link asked, his brow furrowed.

Nayru's wisdom, how to explain? Despite her love for the use of language, sometimes it seemed so painfully limited. "I… This demon, or whatever it should be called, was… enshrouded in an illusion of its own making… But I could, well, sense it every time it had to call its Keese-slaves to order. And when it suddenly lost its invisibility… I did that. I think… I scared it…" she voiced laboriously, thinking how absurd that must sound.

"Riiight…" he hesitated, clearly baffled. "If you are scary enough to frighten that wicked thing, do you mind if I sleep somewhere else today? Somewhere safer like, say, that branch overhanging the chasm over there?"

If Zelda hadn't known that Link wouldn't make light of her without still taking what she said with absolute seriousness, she probably would have tossed him over the edge herself. "Sausage knight…!" she growled in a tone that portended boundless agony… at least to her mind. Judging by his impish grin, it did not have quite the desired grave effect.

"Already she goes and threatens me with the voice of sheer, adorable terror. What fresh hell has been unleashed?" he intoned dramatically, moving backwards with his hands raised in mock fearful supplication.

While she did appreciate the gesture, this was not the time for it… and not even close to the right amount of sincerity. Putting her hands on her hips, she just glowered angrily, doing her utmost not to let her own amusement show. "Link Andrésson, you despicable oaf, if you don't take me seriously right this instant, I will make you my next test-subject!"

"I thought I already was!" he countered, his grin turning intolerably roguish.

Nayru's infinite wisdom and patience, I need you now… and Farore's mercy is what he needs! "I will crack open your mind and stir its measly contents around until its nothing but mush!" she hissed, her face flushing and not from anger.

"Is that what you did to that thing? Does that mean you found a way to control your power?" he wanted to know, switching seamlessly from pure mischief to an expression of bright-eyed wonder and excitement… Damn it all, the look on his face was so cute and genuinely awed, all her (mostly playacted) ire vanished like a burst bubble with a pathetic little bloop.

She sighed deeply. "I… I'm not sure… What I did felt… maybe not quite natural, but at the very least familiar. The option to probe and, well, assault this thing's vile mind just presented itself to me and I pursued it like… an overgrown but still trusted path where my feet carried me without the aid of my consciousness…" she scrunched up her nose at her own words, unsure whether they were merely insufficient or downright trite. "I'm sorry… I really can't explain it any better…"

"I think you said it beautifully!" he replied at once, daring to step closer again. "I would probably have just said 'I did it, but bugger me if I know how'!" The impish smirk was back again, but his eyes nevertheless radiated honest appreciation.

"That would be… a circumlocution which helps a broad comprehension while at the same time being woefully inaccurate." she retorted, smiling sweetly while reaching up to pull not so gently on his ear.

"Still…" he managed, his voice a little strained and his features a tad pained. "…you seem to be making progress, finding these paths… Possibly that's the way you have to learn, discovering them first, understanding them later…"

She pondered his words, her fingers still holding his earlobe hostage. She was always a bit surprised when such verily helpful wisdom just poured out of him… but she adored it nonetheless. "Maybe…" she admitted, shooting him a playful smile of her own, before pulling him even closer, gently this time. Their lips touched and she closed her eyes, trying to convey her deep thanks for his inenarrable help in a way that words never could. The slow, deep kiss filled her once more with reassurance that maybe, just maybe, all these intangible answers could be uncovered, all these riddles about the Threat, her powers, their future… could be solved.

"I think you have succeeded in killing my ear now, dumpling." he whispered and, with horror, she realized she still had it in a vice grip… her mind had, understandably, been rather caught up with the feeling of flying above the clouds… She released it, naturally, but couldn't help returning to their ever delightful bantering. "A small price to bear, I should think…" she cooed, awarding him another sensual kiss while tenderly caressing his poor, mistreated flesh.

"A price for what, I wonder…" he murmured, letting the fingers of his left hand walk slowly up the side of her body, tickling her just slightly.

"You watch yourself, sir knight… Maybe you really should favour that branch tonight as your bedstead… to avoid any accidents…"

* * *

Sadly, despite all veiled insinuations and promises, nothing much happened the rest of the night… much to Zelda's chagrin and, she surmised, his too. But the thought of the boy Veneli waking up to, well, them in a slightly compromising position, despite its improbability, was enough to keep them chaste. Bugger… as Link would say.

They, once, attempted to wake the lad to offer him dinner, but they might as well have asked a rock.

Morning came and, to her surprise, Zelda realized she had slept rather well. Were strange, frightening horrors so mundane to her already that she could just switch right back to normal daily routine? Or maybe Link's and her combined resistance was simply growing stronger than all troubling influences these trying times were imposing on them? She liked to think that the latter was true.

The sun was climbing ever higher, yet their little guest continued his slumber without being disturbed. Thankfully he occasionally turned, or she would have started to worry long ago.

The two travellers decided to allow the boy his rest… after all, they couldn't just up and away with him sleeping there, could they? And forcibly rousing him also seemed unnecessarily cruel. So they waited, he practising his swordplay, she studying and keeping an eye on her patient… and, disgracefully often, on her protector's naked and glistening upper body.

It had to be about eleven in the morning when the Rito finally stirred. The boy opened his eyes, frowned then propped himself up on his hands, looking around in distress.

"Calmly, Veneli… you are safe." she soothed. The lad fixed her in his gaze and slowly recognition dawned on his face… followed by recollection. All in all, he handled it well, she thought. "How are you feeling?"

"Alive…" he answered with a pained smirk that seemed to also say 'but not much better'.

"Hey, flying ace! How's the leg?" Link shouted over as he approached, grinning.

" 's fine… thanks to you two…" he mumbled, lowering his face but glancing up shyly at both of them.

"You are very welcome. This is Zelda, by the way. I'm Link. Nice to meet you!"

The princess felt a tiny jolt of alarm as her lover introduced her so casually, but immediately chided herself for it. This was not the face of an agent of some world-destroying villain… "You must be starved." she suggested kindly. "Would you like something? I'm afraid the only thing we have you would stomach is bread…"

"I… I shouldn't… you've already…" the boy started, but with that line he had no chance with her.

"Nonsense!" she interrupted curtly. "Helping you first, then letting you go hungry? Not much sense in that, is there?" With an amused smirk she handed some of the travel-bread over to the slightly ashamed lad.

"I guess not…" he smiled when he finally accepted their hospitality.

"What are your plans now?" Link asked, sitting down next to them. "Have you been separated from a group?"

"No, I was travelling alone." Veneli corrected with a hint of pride.

"Towards home?"

He hesitated, just for a tiny moment as he broke off another bite of the bread. "I… yes." he confirmed, taking another tentative nibble.

"You were going north, weren't you? What is over that gorge?" the older teen asked nonchalantly, though Zelda was positive that he, too, had noticed the Rito's sudden change in mood.

"Not much… More forest." he answered, acting almost convincingly disinterested.

"Pity… we were thinking about exploring over there…" Link thought, a certain furtiveness in his tone that only she would be able to notice.

Veneli seemed to squirm just a tiny bit. "I don't think that's a good idea… it's not safe."

"How so?" her boyfriend wanted to know. For now Zelda was content on letting him lead the interrogation, as he had clearly caught on to something… she was busy analyzing their guest's reaction.

"Well… monsters, obviously!" he replied, with a very nearly real expression of disbelief that he had to state the obvious. "Besides… you can't get over there anyway…"

Link sighed dramatically. "Yeah, that is a problem… but we will have to find a way. We need to get to that tree…"

The young Rito froze mid movement. Zelda watched closely. A delicate moment… "What tree?" he asked, nervousness now distinct in his face.

"A huge one, towering high above the canopy, barren though… and hollow." Link explained, watching the boy predatorily.

His eyes had gone wide and the bread in his hands seemed forgotten. "How do you know of that?!" he whispered, thunderstruck. Then, when he realized that he had just made a grave misstep, he jumped up from the blanket. "I must be going, I… I'm sorry! And I thank you, truly, but I… I have to…" he babbled, shock visible in his yellow eyes.

Zelda's hand shot forward and, gently, grabbed the boy's hand. "Wait, Veneli!" she asked, feeling she now had to intervene, lest he be scared away. "You don't have to flee. We didn't know our question would distress you so and we apologize. You have my promise that we will not inquire any further, alright?" She let a genuinely apologetic smile flash on her lips, hoping he would believe her. The lad seemed to think hard for ten seconds then, indeed, seemed to be calmed by her words. "Please… do sit back down…"

Hesitant but apparently appeased, he did so… and a whiff of shame showed in his gaze. "I… I have to apologize too. You couldn't know that I… cannot answer. And it was rude of me to just jump up and leave when you have more than proven to be friendly. So… sorry about that…" he muttered, his sincere eyes cast towards the ground.

Zelda almost wanted to jump up and cuddle him, so adorable was his apology… but, naturally, she knew that you couldn't just do that to a boy who felt himself on the cusp of manhood. It would embarrass him even further, which was definitely not what she wanted. On the contrary, she felt a pang of guilt herself, after pushing the poor guy so far that he was almost forced to flee in haste. And judging by the face her dear protector was making, he felt similarly… Also… the way the young Rito talked… and the courteous way he had presented his plea for exculpation made her sense a strong air of nobility about him… Odd, given that Rito were more tribal by nature…

""Listen, I think I owe you an explanation, Veneli…" Link began, clearly mulling his words over very carefully. "The reason we know of the tree is very closely linked to our reason for being here in the first place… and I know what I will say now sounds ridiculously grandiose and not a small bit doubtful, but… we two are on a very important quest… you could say of paramount importance, actually…"

The boy was transfixed by her knight's explanation and you could see how anxious he was. Whatever he was protecting, and Zelda was beginning to have a theory what it might be, it was extremely dear to him.

"To ease your fears, we now practically nothing about this colossal tree, other than its existence… and even finding its approximate location required more speculation than actual fact. Nevertheless, it is our goal, though we don't fully know what we are looking for, once we're there… Goddess above, this does not make any sense whatsoever, does it?" he exclaimed, exasperatedly looking at her while scratching the back of his head.

"Not much, no…" she answered, both amused and slightly disheartened by the realization of just how haphazard it all seemed. "All the same, reach it, we absolutely must. And I swear to you, by the holy Trinity, we are not looking to cause any harm or destruction… rather the opposite is true, though I understand how hard it must be to believe that."

She sighed at the increasingly confused expression on the lad's face. "I regret that we have to be so infuriatingly vague, but… we, too, have a highly sensitive secret to keep."

Veneli fidgeted around, obviously trying to come to some sort of conclusion. "Are you… How do you… How will you… Three Winds of Farore, this is stupid!" he grumbled at the whole situation. "All questions are dead-ended because of secrets!"

"Silly, isn't it?" she confirmed, unsure how to proceed herself.

They had all entrapped themselves in an awkward silence, all pondering how best to move forward. Suddenly the quiet was interrupted by a low, steady tone, barely perceptible, as if it were coming from far, far away. A second one joined, higher and slightly dissonant to the first, yet still oddly fetching…

The young Rito's jumped up agitatedly and stared into the distance over the ravine. "Oh no! It's so late! I have to get home, my parents… they'll be furious!" he exclaimed miserably.

"Easy, Veneli! I can promise you, from experience, they will be far, far too relieved to be angry… especially if you tell them what happened."

The boy paced around, hands clenching and unclenching as he looked him in the eyes. He only seemed to get more upset. "I can't tell them! They'll… they'll get mad!" he cried, distress clear in his eyes.

"As Link said, they will be happy you…" Zelda tried to console, but he just shook his head before gazing at her imploringly.

"Not at me! At you!" he yelled, waving his arms in exasperation. "I don't know what they'd do but… you have to leave!"

"I told you…" Link replied with a purposefully calm voice. "We cannot go back. He _have_ to reach the tree."

"But… but you can't even cross the rift! And even if, it's nothing but danger for you once you're past it!" the boy squalled, eyes widened in disbelief.

"Be that as it may… We do not have the option to choose. No danger is bigger than the threat we are trying to avert. And if we have to travel all the way around the gorge and face a thousand monsters we will do so. We will accomplish what we set out to… or death will be the answer to our failure." Link's tone was sober, yet firm as iron… and in his earnest eyes was that expression she adored to no end, that quiet, powerful fire… not aggressive, never that… but adamant, born of a sheer indomitable will… A sight she fell in love with anew whenever she saw it.

Veneli, too, must have felt it, that almost palpable determination he seemed to radiate, from the way his feet stood solid on the ground, to the strict, yet elegant curve of his eyebrows. The boy swallowed heavily under his stare, realizing that while these words would ring hollow from just anyone, when they were coming from Link they were as cast in the very bedrock of the world.

"It's our home…" the lad said with a tiny voice, his gaze lowered. "The one place my people have to themselves alone… our refuge…"

Zelda couldn't suppress a surprised gasp. She had been right! They had actually stumbled upon the fabled nesting grounds of the Rito! She'd indeed had a sneaking suspicion… but to see that it turned out correct was almost too fantastical to comprehend.

"I understand…" her beloved companion uttered gravely. "And I am deeply honoured by your honesty, Veneli. But nevertheless, we…"

"What is your purpose for coming here?" he interrupted, clearly shaken but determined nonetheless. "I gave up my secret… my people's secret… so you could understand. Won't you do the same?"

His eyes, while still brimming with childlike uncertainty, were strong and focused… he understood the gamble he had taken perfectly and now hoped that trust would prove to be the right choice. Naïve, perhaps… but far more endearing and impressive. Link didn't hesitate and neither would she have.

"Not easily explained…" he sighed. "First, may I introduce princess Zelda of high House Hyrule, who, just like me, her protector, has to struggle with a destiny that was neither expected nor wanted… A destiny to face an obscure threat that seems as unknowable as the means to defeat it. We now travel to the supposed resting places of three ancient dragons… places of power… where we hope to find… something that will aid us in our ultimate fight against this evil that threatens the very life of the world."

Zelda couldn't stifle a tiny, exasperated giggle. His words were laughable… utterly ridiculous… moronic… If only they were a bad joke…

Veneli said nothing. For a moment his features were completely unreadable. She couldn't say whether he was about to burst into laughter or leave in an insulted huff. Still… there was something in his golden eyes…

"I am afraid we have very little in the way of proof…" Link sighed heavily. "…but we are convinced that the tree holds the secret… or possibly just a waywiser… to one of those dragons… whatever they might represent." Another sigh escaped his chest… A look of resigned purposefulness showed on his features, leaving no doubt about his honesty, yet not daring to hope for any credence.

"I am sorry… but this is…"

"I will help you." The young Rito's voice had been low and mumbled but Zelda could see pure resolve emanating from him.

"No, friend… we don't want you to get in trouble. Even if we are caught, you can always say…" Link began, but was interrupted with even greater intensity.

"I will help you." A fire, not unlike her hero's, blazed within… a child's flame, maybe… but certainly no less powerful due to that… and undoubtedly purer. The boy's mind was set, though she could not quite tell why… It mattered little. He had chosen to believe them, believe their ludicrous tale… and for that, she was so grateful she could feel her tears welling up.

After no less than five seconds of intense scrutiny, Link nodded gravely. She could tell he was conflicted… but he, too, had felt the lad's grim intentness and had realized that any more attempts to decline would be incredibly insulting.

A little hesitant she closed the distance between them, got on her knees before the suddenly very befuddled and bashful Rito and took his hand between hers. "Thank you… from the bottom of my heart." she said with a heavy voice and squeezed the blushing boy's fingers. "But I want you to promise me that you will not endanger yourself… whether it be peril to your health or your standing with your people. Your aid cannot come at such a high cost..." He was offended… she could see it in his eyes… already he was a proud warrior of the Winds and he disliked being treated as if he were still nothing but a child at least as much as she disliked having to do so… But she felt she had to. He didn't understand what it meant to openly ally with the Princess of Light and her Protector. How could he? How could he possibly grasp the danger if even they themselves were unable to fathom it in all its monumental magnitude?

"Will you promise me that?" She knew he would, despite the deeply dissatisfied expression on his face. He was a sweetheart through and through…

"Alright…" he grated. "I promise. Not because I like it… but because I can't do much anyway…" he eyed them sullenly. "I'll help you across the rift… and tell you where I think you have to go to find your goal, but… I have to go to my family first… I've been gone for too long. And I… I can't betray my people any more than I already am…" He looked first at Link, then at her with big, troubled and regretful eyes. "I am sorry."

As if he had anything to apologize for! It stung her in her heart that they had to cause such inner conflict for such a lovely person.

"Don't be." her Protector said as he put an appreciative hand on the boy's shoulder. "We are grateful for every help you can give us. And I hope… no, I expect you to know what you can square with your conscience and when you have to take your leave. It is your decision to make and no one else's. Alright?"

The lad nodded and gave a tentative smile. She, too, couldn't hide a wry grin… Boys! They simply speak a different language!

"Now then…" she began, standing up again. "Since we don't want to keep you unduly, how do we cross?"

"You can't." Veneli replied immediately. "No-one who can't fly may pass this point. The elders say that the Ancient Guardian, or as you call it, 'the tree', has pulled this land apart with its mighty roots to protect us and our sanctuary. Load of mumbo jumbo, probably." He scoffed derisively as they both hung at his beak... which he obviously enjoyed quite a bit "Still… there is the magic of my people here, of a time lost to history. No ground-bound folk can cross on their own…"

"How will we cross then?" She asked, grinning, eagerly supplying the question he needed.

"Simple!" Veneli answered a tad haughtily as a downright diabolic smirk formed on his feathered face. "I'm going to make you fly."

* * *

The camp was quickly repackaged. Zelda could see how urgently their young charge wanted to return to his parents, constantly fidgeting and looking longingly at the sky… but he never once complained. With great sorrow, and for the first time in their travels, they didn't saddle their horses, as their feathered guide insisted that they wouldn't be able to cross. It nearly broke her heart to see Celeste snuffle her riding gear confusedly, then followed her around like a faithful dog.

Once they were set Veneli led them eastwards along the gorge, doing his best not to show that he was favouring is uninjured leg. She thought it wisest to ignore it to the best of her abilities… even though she had to grit her teeth whenever she felt a jolt of pain strike the poor boy's leg.

"It's not far, you'll see… It's the ancient crossing, the one place where outsiders may pass…" he explained.

"A bridge?" Link asked, craning his neck to look at the rift once again, despite knowing that no such thing could have magically appeared.

"Yes and no… It's our kind of bridge, you could say…" he answered enigmatically and made no attempt to clarify. The little scamp clearly enjoyed toying with them a bit. Scallywag!

"What do you know about… well… what we might be looking for if we had any idea what we should be looking for?" Link occasionally had a way with words that made her ears sting.

The young Rito thought for a few seconds before answering. "There are hundreds of stories and myths surrounding the Ancient Guardian… your 'tree'." he added in the snide tone that seemed so typical of his race. "An especially popular one is that it used to be the roost of a dragon in a time before time. You know… usual mythology stuff." The last sentence was said in that particular voice that seemed to indicate that the speaker would, of course, never believe such nonsense himself, no sir!

"Still… I, uh… when I was eight I once snuck down to explore along the Guardian's base… which we aren't allowed to do… and I found what looked like a… a hollow inside the wood, completely hidden below and between the enormous roots. Inside I remember there was one huge drawing spiralling around the circular, carved looking room. A massive serpent, greenish scales and copper horns, in one endless seeming loop until its head loomed menacingly above a rough, wooden door opposite the entrance." He paused in his recollections to swallow heavily. "I, uh… I walked in, right towards the centre of the hollow. When I reached it… I swear the thing's eyes started glowing and I was sure I saw movement in the corner of my eyes."

"What did you do?" Zelda asked, breathless.

"I flew out so quickly I nearly crashed into every root in my way… couldn't sleep for days after that…" he gave an apologetic smile. "I always meant to return, but... well…"

She gave Link an excited look, which he returned… she hoped she had as strong a sparkle in her eyes as he had. "We were right!" she breathed. "We found it!"

"You did, dumpling!" he replied and gave her a lightning fast peck on the cheek, which, oddly, made her blush quite furiously. "I can't wait to see the 'tree'!" he added with particular emphasis in Veneli's direction. "It must be a magnificent sight"

"Yeah… it is…" he muttered and slowed to a halt, his head lowered. They turned around to look and saw him gnashing his beak and nestling with his fingers.

"What is it?"

"I… have to tell you one more thing. There is another reason why I am helping you…" he squawked while pawing the ground.

He hesitated a few moments before finally answering. "My… my people are worried… more than I have ever seen. They try not to show it to the children, but… every smile flickers, every feather trembles…"

"Have you been attacked?" Zelda asked, feeling her own hairs stand on end as she sensed the Rito's troubled heart.

"No… not really… I don't know!" he uttered, spreading his wings in exasperation. "I tried to ask my father and my grandfather about it a thousand times… and even though I know they realized that they can't hide their unease from me, they refused to ' _trouble me with that'_!" he hissed, the disdain palpable in his voice.

"And, naturally, being the obedient little boy that you are, you saw the wisdom in the grown-ups' words, let the matter rest and, as if through magic, it worried you no more." Link supplied in sing-song, a miniscule hint of sarcasm escaping as if by accident.

"Naturally." the lad snarled back with a short-lived hint of a wry grin. "I chanced upon them whispering in the night. My father seemed upset… angry, even. He said something like 'The signs are already there' and 'Our defences have already been breached'. My grandfather appeared hesitant… stated that he didn't believe some 'lone thief in the night' could pose a threat to the Guardian… that the robber would perish should he dare to 'use it'. My dad called him an old fool… something I'd never have thought he would say… I couldn't understand the next few sentences but it wasn't long before father stormed out. The next day he asked me whether I would deliver an urgent letter to the elder of Swallow's Well, the closest settlement of my people." his explanation drew to a close, his face ponderous, trying to ensure that he hadn't forgotten any precious bit of information. Finally, he shrugged. "You saved me on the return trip…"

"Do you know what he wrote in that message?" Zelda asked carefully.

"No. I didn't want to betray my dad's trust by reading it. I did, however, make him promise that he would tell me what this is about when I returned. He only said he wasn't sure of it himself yet, but that he would recount what he knows…"

"Do you have any idea what might have been stolen?" Link questioned further.

Veneli paused, as if unsure how much he should reveal. "I can think of only one thing that is always under lock and key in our village… a kind of strongbox in my grandfather's nest… Since we're all Rito, and there's not that many of us, securing or hiding things is usually pointless, as everybody would know who the thief is within hours… but that box I have never seen open… I've never even seen the key to it…" For a few seconds the boy seemed lost in thought, then shrugged. "Anyway… we're here!"

With a wide, inviting sweep of his wing the lad indicated… a surprising amount of nothing. "Well, I expected nothing, so I guess I was technically correct…" Link commented after a few confused moments.

"Look over there, genius…" their Rito guide sighed with a very age appropriate rolling of his eyes. Zelda squinted towards the other side of the gorge, but apart from a bush close to the edge, she couldn't'… Wait! There was something the shrub had climbed up on… some sort of smooth stone, a metre tall and almost completely overgrown.

"Don't tell me you are going to tie a rope that we have to balance over…" her fierce protector mumbled with a very doubtful frown.

A wide, proud grin spread across Veneli's youthful face.

"Mountains high and chasms wide,

they matter not for Rito pride.

The feathered's song, the wind it brings;

Will give you courage, give you wings."

Before either of them could say anything the boy flew up with a sudden gust that made her recoil. He smoothly dove to the other side, then landed a tad roughly, having to brake with a couple of rather undignified hops. "Just imagine that that looked sublimely majestic…" Link muttered in her ear, forcing her to suppress a giggling fit by pressing her hand against her mouth.

"Behold!" Veneli cried dramatically over the gap as he had sauntered back to the stone as if nothing unexpected had happened. He pulled away an errant branch, then seemed to press both his hand against the far side of the pillar.

Both her love and she held their breaths… nothing seemed to happen at first… no great thunderclap, no sudden gale… in fact, no wind at all! The constant breeze and the persistent howl it caused as it whipped through the rift… were gone!

Zelda felt an electric tingle that made her skin erupt in goosebumps… subconsciously she grabbed Link's hand, her breath held in anticipation. Slowly, as if a dormant magic had to be arduously coaxed out of its slumber, the mysterious, overgrown pillar began lighting up. Hundreds of fine lines, radiating brightly in a strong blue, formed dozens of fascinating circular patterns that she would have loved to study the meaning of.

Suddenly, with a ear-popping roar, a howling storm lashed through the rift, pulling on her clothes and hair, almost strong enough to push her off her feet. She could barely hear the panicked whinnying of the horses that, up till now, had loyally followed them, but were now fleeing away.

Link pulled her close, shielding her from the brunt of the incoming force, but even he struggled to keep himself upright. The wind was so powerful, she had the feeling she could actually see the singular streams of air that combined into this enormous tempest. The sensation only got stronger as the bellowing bluster continued and after a few seconds she was sure of what she saw: Not one, but two currents, an east wind and a west, channelled through the gorge and clashing in one mighty furioso right where they stood. A truly fascinating spectacle… violent, chaotic and awe-inspiring!

Then, as quickly as it had started, it ended, although… no, the howling was still there, but far, far more quiet, as if heard and felt through thick, castle walls…

On the other side, Veneli removed his hand from the still glowing stone and walked reverently to the edge. Smiling confidently at them, he took the final step that would send him over the edge. Zelda gave a startled squeak… then an stunned gasp. His claw was clearly resting on nothing but air, though she could see strong currents of air break forth from where he stood, as if released from great pressure.

Step by step the young Rito walked over the rift, and more and more she thought she could see the hint of a waving surface, only minimally revealed through the slightest distortions as the wind burst through.

Link, the storm that nearly carried them away gone, already made for the edge, his face both excited and aghast.

"Amazing!" he exclaimed, kneeling down and letting his hand brush over the sheer inexplicable phenomenon. "Unbelievable!"

She released the breath she had been holding in a nervous chuckle. While she definitely shared his fascination, the thought of having to cross that almost wholly invisible bridge sent shivers down her back.

"Behold the magic of my people!" Veneli spoke grandly with deserved pride in his voice.

"Is it… safe for us now?" she asked, wishing her voice didn't sound quite so wavery.

"It is. I've seen a Goron cross a few years back… The only reason I said you couldn't bring your horses was… well… if you can convince them to step on 'nothing', be my guest."

Link, clearly battling both childlike eagerness with prudent wariness, took one last look at her, smiling softly. Then he stepped forward. Zelda felt her stomach turn itself into a knot and she couldn't help but squeak pitifully…

His foot met with resistance and, just like the young Rito, was now standing on air. After a few seconds of complete bewilderment, he started giggling like a maniac, first tapped his foot gently on the 'surface', then jumped boldly up and down.

"Stop that! Please!" she yammered, finding the thought just too unbearable…

"Sorry… come! Join us!" he said ingenuously, holding his hand out for her to take.

She looked over the edge, swallowing heavily. Then with one last deep intake of air, she, too, stepped over the edge. 'Oh well… if we fall, at least both of us do!' she thought with a certain hysterically fatalistic humour.

A soft, slightly swinging feeling greeted her foot and she could feel air gushing forth where her shoe touched the elusive membrane, whipping past her clothes and tousling her hair slightly. It felt like stepping on an incredibly tautly suspended carpet, except… not at all…

To her surprise, she too got a tiny touch of the giggles, and tentatively tried to bounce with her knees.

"Wonderful, isn't it?!" their young guide chuckled. "The two winds are captured and forced to combat each other in incredibly tight confines. The phenomenally intricate swirling and tumbling of the myriads of streams and their ever changing flow create a near solid surface."

"It's breath-taking!" Zelda marvelled, her excitement and curiosity boundless, now that her initial fear had been overcome. Goddess, how she would love to study this wonder to the very last miniscule detail! She could spend weeks here, trying to understand it all…

At Veneli's gentle urging they crossed the gorge. When her feet were once again resting on solid ground, she was actually quite disappointed that it was already over.

The young Rito once again touched the overgrown pillar and, with a short, roaring gale, the magical marvel was dispelled.

A wistful look played on the boy's face as he turned back to them. "Now I really must take my leave… I'm sorry, I wish it were different…" he mumbled glumly.

Before they could say anything, the lad took a big, flourishing bow, the luxurious feathers on his wings spread to show them in all their splendour... Zelda's eyes widened. This was a gesture reserved for only the most meaningful and heartfelt of messages. "Princess Zelda, Sir Link, I am forever indebted to you for saving my life. I humbly apologize for not being able to guide you to your goal, but… I can't. I'm sorry. Please, as much as it pains me to say that, stay clear of my people in these lands! I fear they would not understand… Always stay under the canopy and travel primarily at night, if you can. The place we talked about is on the western side of the Guardian, reachable directly from the ground.

…I thank you once again and… bid you farewell…" His voice was heavy and sad…

She could see he had meant to fly off right after he had finished, but she was having none of it! Especially not after this incredibly noble and moving gesture! She ran up to him and, uncaring of any boyish feelings of embarrassment, wrapped him tightly in her arms. He gave a startled squawk at first… then awkwardly put one of his wings around her.

"We, too, thank you, Veneli, proud warrior son of the Rito. From the bottom of my heart, I wish you happiness wherever you go… you really are a sweetheart and deserve every bit of it!" she hummed, getting annoyingly teary-eyed. She released him quickly, not wanting to prolong his discomfort unduly. Already he was extremely red around his beak…

Link, too, bade him farewell, grabbing each other's forearm in the century old greeting of men. He whispered a few words in his ear, but she couldn't hear them… no doubt they were not meant for her ears.

After they both had had their moment, Veneli wordlessly rose into the air and quickly flew off, quite possibly fearing yet another assault from her.

She and her beloved shared a long, deep look, seeing in each other's eyes the joy of having formed such a remarkable friendship, and the sorrow of having to say goodbye. A painfully short kiss later they both set off into woods once more, which seemed to, if anything, be denser on this side.

Only hours later Zelda realized with a skipped heartbeat that she had left the bandages on the boy's leg…


	47. Chapter 46

**Wow, that one was fun to write… but also difficult!**

 **Always happy to read your feedback, you guys definitely keep me going!**

 **Also: no more surgical ward! Yay!**

 **Enjoy!**

Chapter 46

Link

He had always had a particular fondness for forests… the occasional, suspenseful gloom, the play of light and dark as sunrays found their way through the canopy… the incredibly invigorating, earthy smell…

This bloody aggregation of spitefully interwoven trees, however, were seriously testing this appreciation. It was like these recalcitrant growths were purposefully blocking their path, forming row upon row of thick wooden walls that made progress incredibly tedious. If he didn't know better, he would like nothing better than to draw his sword and cut his way through, but… sadly, this would not only dull his blade, but probably serve to slow them down even further.

Stupid, pesky trees! Now all he could do was to mutter angrily as he imagined himself with a brightly burning axe, running through the forest, swinging and hacking at all these ligneous tumours that would mock him while cackling like a maniac… And to crown it all, Zelda apparently found his grumpy ramblings terrifically funny, judging by her poorly disguised giggles! Bah!

Still, he was glad she could find some merriment in all this… there was preciously little to have, trapped in the stiflingly thick, musty wistfulness under the light-devouring canopy.

"I wonder how the trees in this forest survive." she panted under her heavy backpack. "I mean, trees of this size would normally never prosper, squeezed this tightly together… It's almost as if their growth occurred according to some design!"

Bless her for routinely striking up conversations to try and pull him out of his foul mood… even though her choice of topic left something to be desired… "I actually wouldn't be surprised if it was…" he replied, speaking louder than normal as the incredible tightness of the air seemed to swallow up sound along with joy. "Veneli spoke of the tree… oh, pardon me, ' _The Guardian'_ almost as if it were alive and sentient. And who knows? A tree of that size… there must be some mystery to it other than good fertilizer courtesy of Rito bowels."

"Tasteful, my good sir knight." she grumbled. "But, yes, I definitely hope so… Come to think of it, I seem to recall that, in ancient mythology of Hyrule, people revered the World-Tree or somesuch… a guardian spirit sent by the goddesses to watch over life on their behalf… Wouldn't it be magnificent, should we be about to meet such an eon-old being?"

"Without a doubt… doesn't bode well that this World-Tree looks completely dead, though, does it?…" he grunted as he squeezed through impossibly knotted branches, scraping his knees for the millionth time.

Zelda fell silent and Link could have smacked himself. Why, by Din's roaring hellfire, did he have to be so bloody fatalistic? He felt like an utter shit, dampening the mood even further, just because these woods were getting on his nerves.

"On the other hand…" he attempted a save. "This damned forest seems well and truly alive… and as you said, it shouldn't be able to prosper, as dense as it is. So not all magic can be lost… And we've only seen the thing from afar till now… Could just be dormant, like your own sorcery…" He waited for her reaction, his face scrunched up, hoping he had salvaged the situation at least a little bit.

"…true." she finally said after a felt eternity. "And since we are probably to enter the tree, we will know soon enough."

"The ' _Guardian'_! Have a little respect, please!" Her voice had sounded placated enough that he permitted himself a little joke.

"Ah. My apologies. I wouldn't want to fall behind you, the grandmaster of being appropriately reverential. The Guardian, then… with a capital 'G'. And a masterfully illustrated initial." she pronounced genially.

Link breathed an inward sigh of relief… Crisis averted! "Much better. I see you are improving your undeferential outlook." He praised with a particularly precocious tone while shooting her a wily grin over his shoulder.

"I highly doubt 'undeferential' is a word you would find in any self-respecting dictionary, oh so superior one…" she growled with a hint of menace… which, naturally, he had to stoke.

"I shouldn't think so… I had to invent it just for you, my dear!" he purred as he turned around fully to award her his most disgustingly patronizing smile. She stopped in her tracks and he could see her fuming, which was quite delectable… He knew he had won this round!

"If I didn't have this massive backpack weighing me down, I hope you realize, I would already be over there, showing you just how contemptuous I can be…" his sweet princess cooed in a way that did not bode well for his continued existence.

"Tempting… should I come closer, then?" he asked, filled with innocence.

The tiny, lopsided smile that played around the corners of her magnificent lips betrayed her consideration of his proposal. "Not to worry, good sir knight…" she purred, sounding as harmless as a leopard about to pounce. "I will find you… when you least expect it…"

A thrilling shudder ran up and down his back, both excited and a tad worried. He loved the danger in her voice… Despite feeling like he was entering the den of a hungry tigress, he quickly closed the distance, pulled her close and snatched a quick but intense kiss from her lips before she could react properly.

For a second she seemed baffled and, possibly, even a bit angry… but then he could see that a wide grin tried to establish itself on her breathtaking face, even through her efforts to turn it slightly pouty. "If you believe that this is going to save you…" she began and left it hanging in the air.

"Alas, I know I am lost…" he answered, looking deeply into her sky-blue eyes, marvelling at the light sparkling within them. "But wait!" he exclaimed as if he'd just had a brilliant idea. "If I am as good as dust beneath your feet, what have I to lose?" and with just a moment's pause for dramatic effect he leaned in once more.

She tried to say something, but her mouth was quickly occupied with his and her resistance was very short lived.

It felt like a wonderfully long time before they separated again, both basking in the energy and spirit that could only be provided by each other. He could sense her trembling in his arms, almost heard her heartbeat, so close to his own. It was one of those spontaneous, non-enforceable moments of pure, sensual unity.

When finally their lips parted, after a few unsuccessful attempts, they both remained, blissfully trapped in the other's arms, enjoying the last remnants of the kiss' taste, shivering as power and determination was drawn from the loved one, doubling them as if by magic… and, of course, waiting for normal brain activity to restart.

"By all three goddesses…" Zelda started, her voice sounding husky and so intense it made his skin tingle. "…we better find this dragon quickly… because when we're done, we are taking a few days off… and you better be ready for it!"

Link swallowed heavily and said nothing… how could he when his mind was suddenly as blank as a fresh, crackling sheet of paper. Still… it's fascinating how much lighter and agreeable the forest felt after that…

* * *

One more day was spent crawling, squeezing and twisting through the impossibly dense vegetation that, more and more, seemed like concentric walls of interlaced branches, repeating endlessly… a natural, living defence, sure to break any ground assault and reduce it to a crawl. Link was certainly beginning to see why the Rito were feeling safe here… Only beings with the gift of flight could pass this stretch of land with any semblance of comfort. Although… hadn't Veneli mentioned that a Goron had, at some point, passed the Bridge of Winds? How in the world did he progress through this infernal woody effrontery? He would have to speak a few terse words with the young bird when all was over…

Still, all grumbling aside, they were now almost there… The last time he had climbed one of the trees to make sure they haven't gone astray was about two hours ago and even then the towering 'Guardian' had seemed very close. He had been able to spot that, around it, the forest kept a clear perimeter, almost as if out of respect… or fear? He'd also detected a few majestically gliding pairs of large wings, still far enough off that he had no worries of being seen. He saw them flying towards a point somewhere high up on the massive trunk but against the white, cloudy sky he couldn't make out any details on the dark wood.

"I am going to climb up one more time… just to be safe." he announced, shedding the clattering backpack.

"Hm." Zelda confirmed, still wedging herself through the tight web of root and branch.

Strictly speaking, there was no need to check for directions any more… they could already see the Guardian's shadowy silhouette often enough through the canopy. He simply wanted check on the Rito people's activity around it, so he could plan their approach and make sure they wouldn't be caught.

The view that opened up before him as he broke through the near unbroken canopy was breathtaking. Up until now he hadn't really had the mindset for the unique aesthetic of it, being too busy with simply getting them there… But for some reason, now it hit him instantly, causing his hair to stand on end with pure fascination.

"Ditch the backpack and come up to me! I want you to see this, dumpling!" he called down. He heard some mumble-grumble from the ground, but her pack landed noisily next to his. Since the vegetation here was so crookedly grown with a branch at every possible spot, the trees were easy to ascend for even an inexperienced climber. That said, he was still surprised at how quickly his deft little dumpling joined him in the crown.

Her deep, delighted intake of air conjured a wide smile on his face. "Amazing!" she breathed, to which he had nothing to add. Indeed he wouldn't have said anything regardless… the matchless natural wonder that presented itself to them could only be adequately appreciated with silence.

A green sea extended to all sides, a collage of all colours of life, from soft lime to intense emerald, waving but gently and so dense as if it could carry their weight, were they to step on it… It seemed at the same time stable and perfect, as well as in constant, wavy motion as the cool breeze of autumn caressed the still juicy leaves. Far, far in the distance, only just peeking through the mist, craggy, sharp mountains rose as a stark contrast to the vast, flat expanse of forest, forming a splendidly formidable panorama, giving the impression of craggy rocks, standing immovably as waves upon waves of a verdant ocean break against it.

The real antithesis to the deceptively homogenous, verdurous expanse, however, was right before them. A singular tree of sheer incomprehensible dimensions, towering above all, a seemingly dead pillar erupting through a sea of life, both awe-inspiring and dizzying to behold.

Zelda's hand found his own, squeezing it hesitantly. Just by her touch he felt both her mystified anticipation, her giddy lust for exploration and her hair-raising tension at the sight of this apparently deceased monument of nature, so at odds with its surroundings. He squeezed back to show he knew exactly how she felt.

"How old must this thing be?" he asked the world in general, his voice hushed by veneration.

"Thousands of years? Tens of thousands?" she answered, equally reverential.

The marvelled in silence for another minute, both feeling unable to avert their gaze from this quite, yet spectacular sight.

"Look! Do you see those things high up, on and around those branches?" Link suddenly exclaimed, pointing towards a spot about two thirds up the enormous trunk. Zelda laid her head on his shoulder so she could follow precisely where he was indicating at… even though he had no doubt she would have detected it even without that cute little manoeuvre.

"Rito huts!" she noted excitedly. He could see her radiant, heart-warming smile as she set eyes upon something no other Hylian had, presumably, ever seen. The mighty tree-branches, each as wide as a road, supported dozens of small, spherical homes, each in a different, vibrant colour, reflecting the magnificent plumage of its inhabitants. Some where propped up above the Guardian's limbs, some seemed precariously supported off its side, others still appeared to be hanging under it, tiny stairways and walkways criss-crossing to and fro. A village so strange, magical and wonderful as it could possibly be. Link was itching to be there, to balance on the narrow wooden gangways, to feel the wind so high up and see it all from up close… He could only imagine how strong, how imperative this urge must be for his beloved princess, always caged behind stark stone walls, to be among the People of the Many Winds, above everybody else, free and unchained like no other being could claim to be.

"The view from up there must be gorgeous…" she whispered, both fascination and almost pained yearning in her sweet voice. Link wanted nothing more than to promise her that they would visit, somehow, that they would sit among the Rito, share their vista, their stories, their priceless liberty… But he knew such a promise would ring empty, a fool's hope.

He wordlessly put his arm around her shoulders, pulling her a little closer as they sat among the leaves, almost like two normal youths, simply enjoying the view.

Link looked a bit higher, where once the unimaginably large canopy would have been. Hundreds of branches, some thick as a castle tower, others only a shimmer against the light-grey sky… and not a single leaf… The crown that must have once provided shade for half this plane was barren and lifeless… A sudden sadness overcame him, realizing that such a tremendous being, such a peerless marvel had to perish. But then again… the way Veneli had spoken of it hadn't been mournful or plaintive… He had venerated it, but rather like you would a living person, not someone who had passed away.

Though as he looked closer, he suddenly saw something else…

"Down!" he hissed, his heart instantly racing. He pushed Zelda's head down so the leaves would hide her sparkling hair better, then half climbed, half slid his way back to the ground, always ready to catch her, should she fall. Thankfully he could always count on her presence of mind and, despite her startled, pale face, she reacted at once, proving her dexterity once again as she followed suit.

"Have they seen us?!" she whispered urgently, eyes wide and scared.

"Not sure. Saw them coming straight at us." he answered curtly, lifting her backpack first so she could slip it on without delay. "That way! As quickly and silently as possible!" he commanded, already squeezing through the next row of trees.

Zelda had just emerged from the same gap when, to his horror, he heard a low whooshing sound just above. He grabbed her arm and roughly dragged her with him, time too short to be gentle. He weaved through the largest gaps he could find, regardless of the direction, his only aim to gain as much distance as he could. Still, they were too loud! Their heavy packs clattered and scraped against bark, but what alternative was there? They held all their food… and if they had abandoned them and they were found, the natives would know of their presence, which would make approaching the tree next to impossible.

After thirty seconds of hasty, panicked retreat, Zelda only barely keeping up without stumbling over root and rock, Link spotted an oddly stunted tree, standing above a small hollow in the ground. "There!" he snarled, changing direction so quickly he had to yank on her shoulder to make her change course in time. She gave a muffled pained yelp, causing a wave of guilt to course through his soul, but he had to brush it aside for now.

They reached the little pit, half covered by the gnarled wood and slithered in. Their hearts raced violently, their heavy breathing and the rush of blood in their ears seeming hair-raisingly loud and betraying. His poor girl put her hand in front of her mouth in hopes of dampening the sound of her deep gasps for air.

"Shouldn't have bloody stayed up there that long!" He hissed through gritted teeth. "Fucking, _fucking_ idiot!" He balled his fists in red-hot anger at himself for being so careless. If he could have, he would kick himself to the ground… though now he was forced to seethe quietly, despite feeling he could burst out of sheer rage… and terrified sense of guilt for having inadvertently endangered who mattered most.

Zelda, ever his saving grace, took his hand and held it firmly as if to assure him that she didn't seek to blame. The little angel shot him a consoling, shaky smile, brittle due to the heart-pounding anxiety of being chased. He only managed a perfunctory, lopsided excuse of a grin as a reply… Inwardly he shook his head. She, having to provide solace for him in such a situation… Some bloody disgrace of a protector I am!

They waited in complete silence, squatting in the gloom below the tree, every movement, every breath, every miniscule rustle of clothes seeming like an unmistakable din, sure to give away their location at once. The seconds crawled past as wild, panicked fleeing gave way to frightened, tense waiting for the unknown. Had it all been an accident? Were they lingering here for no reason whatsoever? Down in this hollow he could only see the canopy through the hole they entered, and all sounds seemed muffled by the moist earth and wood around them. How dearly he wished his eyes could pierce branch and leaf…

Beside him, shifting a tiny bit to relieve her by now aching knees, she leaned closer. "Are they gone?" just the barest whisper, spoken so closely he could feel her hot breath against his ear. He didn't know how to answer. They were uncomfortable, crammed in this airless hole, cowering with their heavy backpacks still on… yet if it were up to him, he'd stay here for at least another hour.

Just as he was about to answer he saw, out of the corner of his eye, a shadow zoom past up above, darkening the few patches of light that pierced the thick tree crowns for a split second.

"Wha-" Zelda began, but he rapidly put his fingers against her lips… not a moment too soon!

Not a moment later the both heard the rustling of leaves and creaking of branches, as if something heavy had suddenly landed in the treetops. A cold shiver spread through him from head to toes and through his fingertips he could feel his beloved's frightened and shivering intake of air.

Voices came muffled from above, and he had to consciously try to slow his heartbeat, or he wouldn't understand.

"Are you _sure_ you saw something?" a strong baritone asked gruffly, the tone of a soldier.

"No. But I _am_ sure I heard someone fleeing in the thicket." a higher, melodious voice answered, undoubtedly emerging from a Rito. A third one spoke, but too far off to catch a single word.

"Very well…" the soldierly one snarled. "Then you three get on the ground and get searching while Laissa and I check from above."

"Of course… _we_ have to go rummage in the dirt…" a disgruntled twitter could be heard from directly above them. Zelda twitched and pressed his hand even more firmly.

"Don't you start with me, pipsqueak. Down there, now!" yelled the unmistakable voice of 'military sergeant'.

Link's mind raced as the sound of three grumbling Rito breaking through the canopy reached his ear. Five of them… at least… And they were right above! Had they made so much noise that they had been so easy to locate?

Doesn't bloody matter! How to get away?! If they ran now, they'd be certainly heard! And if they stayed… they were only really hidden from the bird's eye view… anybody walking past the opening could easily spot them cowering there.

Three pairs of rustled wings and three heavy landings… terrifyingly close. He felt cold sweat running down his back. Being caught seemed inevitable… but what then? Would he fight? These people only sought to protect their home! And they were indeed intruding… Hurting them seemed so far removed from anything resembling justice, the thought alone made his stomach roil. Then again… their mission had to take priority… right? And above all, his vocation to protect the magnificent being at his side stood paramount over everything else. What to do? His heartbeat rose to unimaginable heights as his inner conflict seemed to drown out any coherent thought.

A sharp rap coming from behind nearly scared him out of his wits and Zelda gave a tiny, startled squeak which she instantly smothered with both of her hands clasped in front of her mouth. The raging fear in her eyes as she looked to him, hoping for a way out, turned his insides to ice…

Fuck… fuck _fuck_ FUCK!

"Hmm-hmm…" a muffled voice sing-songed from behind, separated from them only by the mouldy trunk and gnarled roots. "Remember when we used to hide in this tree? I wonder if it has found a new inhabitant…"

Link's thoughts turned cold. The game was over.

He gave Zelda one last gentle squeeze on her shoulder, reassuring her despite not feeling any certitude himself. Then he removed his sword from his belt, vowing not to draw it from its sheath. His muscles tensed, his breathing slowed… He could hear the light, scraping steps of claws on soft earth pass around the tree on both sides… They'd look into their hollow within three seconds… and he would fly out to greet them, should they choose to attack.

Three steps away… he thought he could hear their nervous heartbeat, smell their tension…

Two steps… Every fibre of his body was taut, ready to unleash hell while every crease of his mind lamented his insufficient intelligence for finding a peaceful way out of the predicament he had gotten them into.

One step…

Suddenly, from one moment to the next, the entrance through the gnarled bark closed with a bone-rattling creak, like an enormous mouth swallowing them whole and everything turned dark. With a startled gasp, Link dashed forward, trying to rediscover the exit with nothing but his hands, thinking at first they might have suffered a cave in… He felt Zelda's hand groping at his back in blind panic, then grasping at his clothes in fear of losing him, despite the fact they had barely any space to manoeuvre.

"What- what happened?! The tree just closed!" she squeaked, sounding damn near as hysterical and frightened as he felt.

He half turned around, carefully reached out with his right hand until he found her face and cupped her cheek. "Shhh… calm… I'm here!" he cooed, hoping to all Three that his voice sounded much more reassuring than he could actually feel himself. His left hand kept fumbling around at the wall where, seconds ago, there had been nothing but air leading to the light, open outside, which suddenly seemed a thousand times more appealing, Rito warriors or no.

The darkness was oppressive… but not so much as…

"Listen!" he urged. It took a moment for his command to pierce through the near-panic in her soul, but then she held her racing breath for a few seconds.

…nothing…

No surprised voices from outside, no sharp rapping against the bark, not even the infinitesimal sounds of the wood and earth all around them. Sheer silence…

"What is happening?!" she asked, trembling under his soft touch. He knew how much effort it must cost her to stay relatively collected, mostly because of how much it did him.

"I cannot say." He admitted through gritted teeth. The wall appeared to be the same rough, mouldy wood they had been surrounded before… Had the tree collapsed? If it had, there had been no cracking of wood, no knee-shaking crash, just this jarring creak of a tree bending… and if he remembered correctly, the entrance had slid shut from the bottom to the top! What bloody sense does that make?!

"It's okay… it's still just wood. I'll be able to hack our way out of here, you'll see! Can I have my hand back, dumpling?" he questioned, still trying to appear much more calm than he was, while gently wriggling the hand on her cheek which she had instinctively grabbed on to. He heard her take a deep breath and could almost sense her brave attempts at restoring sanity in her mind. His thumb softly caressed her face, hoping to instil as much tranquillity as he could, keeping none for himself.

Tentatively, her shivering hands let go of his arm, her breathing noticeably slower and her voice decidedly more stable. "Go ahead… tell me if I can help!"

With a smile she couldn't even see he hesitantly removed his right, massively proud of his lionhearted princess.

Without wasting another second he unsheathed his knife and gave the imprisoning wood a few knocks, trying to find the thinnest or most decayed spot. When, after a few moments, he found a decently hollow sounding point, he grabbed the handle with both hands. "Stay back. I-" he didn't get any further…

With an odd sounding, wooden creak the tree suddenly reopened, just as inexplicably as it had closed. Zelda gave a loud, relieved sigh while Link silently thanked the goddesses… but the mystery didn't end there…

"What…?" was the only thing his brain managed when it finally realized what his eyes were trying to tell it.

They warily stepped out of the tree before it decided to devour them once more… but what greeted them disturbed them even more, if such a thing was even possible. The clear, light day that had even managed to illuminate the thick forest was gone… and instead they stood amidst a dense, impenetrable fog, swirling arcanely all around in mesmerizing, intricate vortexes… without so much as the lightest breeze…

Tiny, strange lights glinted wherever they looked, like bluish fireflies, dancing utterly weightlessly in the mist's whirls, then randomly flickering out before another spontaneously came into existence.

Link clumsily reached for Zelda's hand and held it firmly as they both looked, spellbound and open-mouthed, every which way. He would have loved to say that he only held her so they wouldn't get separated, but that wouldn't be entirely true… In truth, as much as what he saw fascinated him, it also terrified him to his very core… In truth, he held onto her just as much as she onto him, his very soul pierced by a sudden, barbed fear of being lost, to disappear into this place and vanish from existence itself… almost as if it had happened before…

Oddly slowly their senses adjusted to their new surroundings, though an air of an ancient inscrutability remained…

Their eyes could only penetrate the peculiar, bluish fog far enough so the next row of trees appeared as a dark and threatening, many-limbed monstrosity, which always seemed to stir in the corner of one's eye, yet sat still when you turned your head…

The air, already dense and heavy before, now seemed almost choking, filled with wet, musty and still, as if you were breathing nothing but earth and moss.

At first this place had seemed silent, but the more they listened, the more they found they were surrounded with strange sounds… the deep creaking of mighty trunks in the still air, the rustle of invisible creatures in leaves and brush… the sound of pieces of wood, clattering together, almost like an outlandish wind-chime… and a whimsical, much higher creak that sounded so very much like an impish laugh… all seeming to come from every direction, both close and from far away, echoing impossibly sometimes from above, other times from below, yet others seemingly from right in between the two of them.

Link looked behind him and felt goosebumps creep up his arms. The tree they had just emerged from, in the weird, hazy blur of this place, looked disturbingly like a vicious face, whose gaping, jagged maw they had just escaped… and whose eye-sockets were watching them menacingly. Suppressing a shiver, he turned back.

"Where do we go…" he mumbled, realizing too late he had thought aloud.

"I don't know…" she muttered back, both close to whispering in a subconscious fear of disturbing the _currently_ peaceful situation. "…but…" she added, then fell silent again.

He watched her from the side, first staring into the distance, then slowly closing her magnificent eyes. He saw her elegant brow furrow, then smoothen again… then a deep breath… "Do you… do you feel it?" she asked with a strangely serene voice.

Link knew he lacked the magical powers his love possessed, as did she… so he was surprised to hear such a question. "Do I feel… what?" he replied silently.

"I don't quite know how to… A presence… ancient and immense… in the ground below, in every tree around, even in the air… This place feels as old as time… a thousand discerning eyes… and none… A remnant of once great power, barely maintained… A labyrinth of souls gone astray, a place to either find oneself… or lose oneself and become one with the woods… but…"

She hesitated and he could see goosebumps form and disappear again on her ivory skin in slow, rhythmic pulses. Her hand was hot in his and… through it he thought he could catch hazy glimpses of what she was experiencing… incomplete figments of what she was trying to convey to him, which, despite their alien and unsettling nature, aided his understanding in a realm where the power of language had failed long ago. He felt her teetering between her own conscience and something else… bridging two different worlds. Despite his deep fear of this place, which he still couldn't quite explain, he, too, closed his eyes and, hesitantly, tried to calm his mind so the impressions she was trying to convey were reflected as if off still water, instead off a stormy sea. Whatever caused his strange terror, his trust towards Zelda ran deeper still.

A flood of sensations washed over him. It took all his self-mastery not to pull back his hand. Images, feelings, smells… thoughts barely comprehensible… memories hardly understandable… A myriad of mental pictures of a million lives over a thousand lifetimes… and with it all… an odd sense of familiarity…

"Can you feel it?" she repeated her question and he didn't have to see her to know she was smiling softly.

To his surprise, he too felt a tiny grin play on his lips. The terror wasn't really gone, but it had been overshadowed by an even stranger sense of belonging… It was as if a memory, once incomplete, had now been made whole with her help.

"Balance… life and death… a presence looming above all… no hostility… Wariness… Watchfulness… But no hostility…"

"Hmm…" he heard her agree. They remained for a few more seconds, suspended in between consciousness and this dream that had to be real. Then, slowly, Zelda pulled herself back, not without effort he noticed. He moved himself to face her and, still without needing to look, let his free hand cup her cheek. Without knowing even remotely what he was doing, he tried to ground her, to be her anchor, to provide a safe corridor back into her body.

He couldn't say whether it was at all his doing, but not a second later she reopened her stunning, sky-blue eyes, those beautiful windows into her wondrous soul he had so ferociously fallen in love with… and her warm, radiant smile banished the last remnants of fear.

"I'm not going to ask how you did that… but you can take me on such journeys whenever you like…" he mumbled sincerely, barely holding back to kiss her fiercely right then and there, where they were still far from safe.

"Only if you promise to keep bringing me back…" Her smile, if anything turned even brighter and he thought he saw a wisp of relief smoothen her brow… apparently she still feared he might be unsettled by her supernatural abilities… adorable little fool!

When they were finally able to keep their eyes from each other, they gazed around once more. The woods had changed… not in any way they could see or feel, but certainly in their minds… Scary still, without a doubt… but also filled with life and eerily beautiful.

A high, squeaking giggle cut through the quiet, much clearer than the almost imperceptible ones before. The two separated, startled, but still kept their hands tightly together. Focussing his senses, Link now definitely felt someone watching them, much more defined than the vague sensation from before. Almost as if a speck of Zelda's power still remained within, he perceived the area with unprecedented clarity… and whirled around towards the evil-looking tree whose dinner they had almost been.

…There! Still almost hidden in the unearthly gloom and uncanny haze, his sharp senses now finally saw a peculiar figure, hiding within the sinister, stunted trunk's left eye.

"Ya-haha!" it laughed and danced a quick, merry jig immediately at being discovered.

Now he felt Zelda focussing on it as well, gasping quietly, more in surprise than fright. And a strange sight it was indeed! A vaguely child-like figure, at least in height… its skin clearly resembled wood, yet bending and moving as if it were flesh. As its face it had a heart shaped leaf, with an impish expression cut out of it.

Not a second after he had finally gotten a decent look at it, it hopped nimbly to the top of the menacing tree's head and then, with a last, weirdly echoing giggle, it jumped down behind it and out of sight.

They watched the spot it had just vanished from for another moment, dumbfounded by this surrounding mystery that always seemed to have yet another thing in store.

"What do you think it wanted?" she asked warily.

"Erm… my dealings with strange, sniggering wood-children have been very limited, so far…" he replied in an attempt to bring a whiff of humour into the situation. Despite the crippling fear having been blasted away by Zelda's resplendent smile, the sharp tension of a wholly unfamiliar situation still remained.

"Was it simply watching us?" she obviously just thought aloud, yet he couldn't resist answering.

"That we can agree on… but to what end? It almost seemed exalted when we spotted it…"

"Maybe we're just…"

Quick as stray cat, the peculiar creature poked its head out from behind the tree again, almost as if playing peek-a-boo, once again startling them both into silence.

It let loose an oddly warbled cry that, to Link, a seasoned big brother, sounded remarkably like a child's impatient whining. To substantiate his suspicion, the being's tiny arm reached around the trunk and made an obviously beckoning gesture.

Zelda released a single, incredulous chuckle which summarized his sentiment about the situation rather well. "I can think of a million reasons why blindly following could be a bad idea…" he muttered resignedly, scratching the back of his head.

She hummed her approval, but added: "On the other hand, it's the only direction we have…"

With one last shrugging look at each other, they uneasily followed the increasingly impatient woodling's call.

They had barely made their first step when it jumped fully into view, burbling excitedly and waving its arms wildly. But before they could get closer than 5 metres it nimbly hopped away, pirouetting with surprising jumping-power and speed behind the closest tree, where it was immediately swallowed by the thick fog.

The two stared dumbfoundedly at the spot, mist and cryptic lights still swirling from the creature's flight… then, their brains finally realizing the game they had unwittingly agreed to, they sprinted forward, giving chase before the only potential guide through the hazy labyrinth had away.

Link couldn't say how long their wild hunt lasted… or whether time had even the slightest significance in this place… The two of them, always close together, tore through the misty gloom, never seeing more than 5 metres ahead, the forest child always just a spectre ahead. Sometimes it seemed almost close enough to reach, others he was completely vanished for a few panicked seconds before giggling and waving at them from a completely different direction than the one they had been going. Link's sharper senses followed the mysterious being more easily, but even he would probably been lost within moments, had it not been for Zelda's second pair of eyes and ears. The kid, if that's indeed what it was, ran, jumped and played effortlessly around trees, over roots and through branches, sniggering constantly at their relative clumsiness. Sometimes it would wait for them, camouflaged against a tree, laughing until they discovered it… sometimes it would hang upside down from a high branch, making them wonder how it had reached that far up so quickly… once it threw a tiny pebble at the back of Link's head, then nearly toppled over in a giggling fit while the two of them still tried to figure out how in the world it managed to appear on the path they had just come from.

One thing he regretted in retrospect was that, during their hasty stumbling after their merry little guide, they had no time to see more of the wonders of this place… Very briefly they passed by a pond, its water serene and reflecting the fey lights a thousand times over, giving it the impression of infinite depth… they were forced to run past without a second glance. Some time later they passed through what appeared to be a stone circle, huge menhirs set atop one another with faded carvings still visible… he saw his adorable scholar's eyes light up in wonder, then her piteous regret at having to leave it behind, probably never to return…

On the other hand, about some of the things he saw looming just past the ever encroaching walls of fog- waving tendrils in constant, creeping motion, an enormous creature sitting on its haunches, then jogging with them for a few metres, a hundred glowing eyes, constantly shifting -he was quite glad they simply dashed past without a closer look.

In the end, already quite out of breath, their chase led them to a very peculiar and dark section of this eldritch forest, with huge trees, their trunks as wide as Link's outstretched arms, all growing slantedly in one direction. They had little time to think about it, as their little friend seemed to, if anything, speed up, still dancing, weaving and twisting through as if he weighed nothing at all…

Finally, appearing out of obscure mist like an enormous maw, they reached an entrance, several times their height and perfectly even, shaped like a gothic arch. Their elusive guide stood right under it, facing them… and for the first time since they had met, it stood almost completely still, waiting for them.

Tentatively approaching, Link noticed that, the closer they got to the arch, the more the hazy gloom around them was dispelled and the lighter it became. When they stood within arm's reach of the woodling, the fog around them seemed almost white, instead of the bluish, sometimes almost deep purple hue.

"You're faaast!" the little creature suddenly stated, causing them both to jump. Unsurprisingly, it had a child's voice, but oddly, not unpleasantly distorted and echoing. It calmly waddled closer and patted Link's knees… All of a sudden, it seemed to have lost all its shyness… or maybe that had all been an act…

"But not as fast as once!" it giggled, kicked him playfully in the shin and jumped backwards into a handstand, feet wriggling wildly.

Link, still recovering, not from the kick but from the sheer levels of 'absurd', just stood, open mouthed. "What do you mean, 'once'?" Zelda interjected and he was thankful for her quicker mind.

"Earlier! Before! Back then! Formerly! Prrrrrrrrrrrrrrrreviously!" it shouted as it performed an impossible quintuple flip out of its handstand, then landing in a perfect finishing pose.

"You don't remember though, do you…" it then moaned sadly, hanging its head. "Don't remember… again..."

Both Link and Zelda already had their mouths open to speak when it yelled "OH WELL!", suddenly all excitement again. "We'll just have to become friends AGAIN!"

"Uh…" was our hero's contribution to the subject.

"Iiiiiii'm Maca! And I can jump the highest! Watch!" And indeed, off he went, jumping so far into the air, the mist swallowed him whole. Thankfully, he screeched gleefully the whole time, so Link realized just in time where the child's trajectory would take him and got his head out of the way, catching him with his hands instead.

"Eheheheee! Told you, you're quick!" Maca exalted, waving his arms and legs about in pure joy. His skin felt just like normal bark… but warmer… and he, indeed, weighed next to nothing.

"Now let's have another race! Come on, come on! It'll be fun, funny, funnier, fu…" then, mid tirade, he abruptly stopped… but just for an instant.

"Wuaaah!" he screamed in sudden dismay, wobbling so much he almost couldn't be held. "The Great Deku Tree told me to get you to him and here I am, wasting time!"

Somehow he peeled himself out of Link's grip and hopped back towards the ominous entrance. "Here, here! The Great Deku Tree wants to speak to you! So go in! Go in already!"

As Maca spoke the mist seemed to become thinner and the ever present cyptic sounds of these arcane woods slowly made way for a more natural silence. They both gazed around as detail after detail of their world returned, as the eerily beautiful lights and spectacular, nebulous swirls gradually vanished. Zelda pulled on his hand and pointed towards their jolly guide and, to Link's surprise and, funnily, deep chagrin, he, too, was fading away. Within seconds he had become almost completely translucent… "Wait!" the baffled boy shouted, arm outstretched as if to catch him before his inevitable disappearing. He couldn't explain why a sudden sadness had gripped his heart in a hot-cold hand… as if a long gone friend was about to be lost once more…

"Don't worry, Linky!" the child yelled, his voice as quiet as if coming from far, far away… "We'll have our race another time! And don't be afraid… the Great Deku Tree will remember you as a good friend!"

And with those last, barely audible words the last remnants of fog dissipated, the world becoming unshrouded as if an all-encompassing veil had been removed by a goddess' hand.

Link stared dumbfoundedly at the spot Maca had just dissolved from, trying his hardest to understand, well, anything at all… The things the woodling had said, the strange tearfulness he experienced at their parting… and the niggling, persistent feeling that, at hearing the name of the being supposedly waiting for them, a memory was just at the cusp of reaching his conscience, but not quite managing it.

He felt a gentle hand caressing his cheek, softly pulling him back from his stupor. "What is wrong?" she asked worriedly. He looked at her, that ravishing face he loved to no end, seeing the warmth and affection in her eyes… Such a slim frame, hiding enough strength for an entire country…

He smiled, thankful for her concern, and took her elegant hand in his. "I'll be fine… just the terrible, guilty feeling of having forgotten something… or, possibly, someone…" he muttered, wondering if he was talking sense.

"Hmm…" she nodded, returning his smile. "I think Maca truly knew you then… his last words spoke about how the Tree would remember you as a friend… I'm sure he wanted you to allay just that guilt, hm?"

"The Great Deku Tree…" He muttered to himself, still pricked by that memory that tarried just beyond his grasp. Nevertheless… that name stirred something within…

He shook his head, trying to free it from all these hindering thoughts. All this pondering wouldn't get them any further and there was a lot to do. He turned fully towards his caring angel and, smiling fondly, kissed her forehead to say his heartfelt thanks.

A tad surprised at first, she grinned impishly before standing on her toes to peck him on the lips… grievously short, leaving so much appetite for more, but still a clear, reassuring answer.

For the first time since their accustomed world had them back, they took in their surroundings. After a short, baffled moment, Link had to grin. The woods they had seen during the last minutes of their wild hunt through the mist was still there… except they weren't weirdly slanted trees at all! The bewildered pair stood in the midst of the mountainous Guardian's massive roots, which appeared like a forest of its own. It was shady here, sunlight only glancing in through a few gaps between the roots, large curtains of vines and moss hanging wherever it found purchase, filling the air with the by now familiar, thick scent of must and humidity. He tried to catch a glimpse upwards… the sight of the enormous trunk rising into unspeakable heights from directly below must be staggering… but that view was blocked.

As he looked back, he wasn't surprised to find his cute little professor already busy with the entryway. In the fog, he had thought it an entrance carved into rock… but now it was obvious they were dealing with the way into the hollow that Veneli had described. The path into the Deku Tree… Simple, yet beautiful carvings were fashioned around it, resembling branches, leaves and vines, growing towards a shining sun above the apex. The room inside was just as the young Rito had described it to them. Through the relatively narrow arch they saw part of the drawing, so closely resembling the dragon he had seen upon touching the Master Sword, encompassing the round hall in a seemingly endless spiral. Directly opposite was what could only be a door, but completely circular like the cross-section of a tree-trunk, with a swirling symbol carved into it.

"That's an ancient symbol of Farore!" Zelda breathed excitedly. "It's so old even the priest in the temple of Hyrule-city had to look up its meaning for me! It's supposed to be a leaf, her gift to the world… and the cyclical nature of life is the spiral within it, always repeating, yet still different, passing indefinitely through time…"

Link couldn't suppress a wry grin as he looked sideways at his beautiful savant. He adored it whenever she was gushing over some tiny factoid or intricate detail. "While I admire your enthusiasm, dumpling, I admit I am more interested in the painting above the door…" he chuckled.

"Above the…? Oh! Certainly, yes…" she confirmed a tad flustered, obviously thrown off her line of thinking… which caused him to have to suppress a moderate giggling fit.

Hardly missable above the round portal was the fearsome visage of the dragon, gazing menacingly into the room, its maw opened, teeth bared as if to instantly lunge and devour any unwanted guest. He could almost feel his companion's hairs stand on end… "Right…" she mumbled warily.

"Shall we go?" he asked, not wanting to move too quickly. There was no doubt in his heart that she was brave enough, but a little time to collect one's courage could never hurt… Besides… it wasn't like he was unfazed by all that had happened today already… The nervous tension at having to enter the Tree, a place so arcane, so unknowable, made every heartbeat feel like the beat of a heavy Goron drum… And the anticipation of, at last, finding one of the enigmatic dragons, getting one step closer to their obscure goal and maybe getting a few answers to many burning questions just added on top of that.

Zelda took a deep breath, looking directly into the bronze eyes of the spiralling serpent. "Let's go." she announced firmly, stepping boldly into the room before Link hurriedly followed suit.

The room was set in twilight as the Deku Tree's roots swallowed most of daylight… but even still they marvelled at the vibrant colours and, frankly, terrifyingly life-like design of the dragon that was now wrapping around them. Whoever had painted it had been a master of his craft… he or she had captured the complex motions such a mighty creature might have in flight so vividly that, more than once, their head jerked to the side, startled because they thought they saw movement out of the corner of their eyes. Subconsciously they avoided stepping on the emerald scales drawn on the floor, even though they both, independently, told themselves there could be no danger in a simple painting… right?

They reached the middle of the room… Link swallowed heavily in fluttery anticipation… A gust of wind blew past the entrance, frightening them both to the core with its sudden wail... For a split second he thought the dragon's copper eyes had a menacing glint deep inside them… Yet nothing happened. No barring of vicious claws and teeth, no sudden, ferocious attack… Silence once again…

He exhaled the breath he had held without realizing it and took his hand from the hilt of his sword. "Anticlimactic…" he muttered and earned a nervous little laugh from Zelda.

The remaining few steps across the hall were quicker, as most of the threat seemed dispelled through the blatant lack of reaction from… the painting… Link reflected what laughable paths one's mind chooses to take sometimes, when imagination had been kindled by nervousness…

They reached the large round door, two metres in diameter, looking extremely heavy… and now opening mechanism in sight…

"…and now?" she asked the world in general while scrutinizing the portal's rough looking edges.

"Well, so far we have tried precisely nothing. Would be sad if we were out of ideas already…" he mumbled back quietly, unwilling to disturb the eerie silence of this place. Placing both hands against the slightly prickly wooden surface he pushed, gently at first, then with some weight behind it.

Nothing.

Next he attempted to pull it to either side, as if rolling an enormous wheel…

Not a single millimetre.

Shifting his stance, he tried pushing it upwards, already doubting that the friction of his hands alone would be enough to feel whether this could work even theoretically…

The heavy gate seemed unimpressed…

He brought his right hand to his mouth to try to gnaw out a splinter, his sole reward for his efforts…

"How are those ideas coming along?" his dear, innocent princess asked with, possibly, just a faint suggestion of cheek.

"To put it like you would: I have so far excluded a number of hypotheses which, upon further reflection, were unlikely to achieve success, yet needed to be falsified nevertheless in order to reach a satisfactory outcome. All the while, my lovely assistant accomplished little more than a visual inspection of my busy bottom, looking doubtlessly delicious under the duress of diligently discovering a definitive denouement to dispatch 'dis door." he rattled out, mimicking the lovable, yet slightly haughty face she got whenever she decided to share her impressive knowledge.

Her eyes widened and her cheeks flushed a, to him, delectable pink. "I was-… I didn't look at-… _Assistant_?!" she spluttered furiously.

Her flustered, incoherently mouthing face burst the fragile bubble of raucous laughter in his chest and he exploded into giggles so wild he had to use his left hand to support himself against the door.

"You… utter… aargh! You caught me off guard, you cheating dog!" she fumed, caught between embarrassed rage and the irresistible urge to burst out laughing. "I'll _assist_ you, alright! Just you wait, you sausage knight, you!... And I sound nothing like that!" she added viciously, just when he thought she was about to cool down, making him jump back, still giggling like a loon.

He gazed at her, still clearly in a huff, her back purposefully turned towards him, 'inspecting' the door again, her elegant, long ears red from either anger or self-consciousness… The mildest, most peaceful little smile slowly crept on his lips, just from watching her tiniest movements, betraying that nearly all her ire was an act. It was at the weirdest moments these feelings overcame him… He knew he must look like a complete, love-struck idiot, the way he beheld her… which, to him, sounded just fine…

She began turning back around... and he couldn't wait to see how she was going to react.

"Link, look!" she exclaimed all of a sudden, pointing at the door directly to his side. His head spun around and he twitched in bafflement at seeing a spot on the gate glowing faintly green… precisely the spot where his hand had been just seconds ago…

They watched, silently, for a few moments as the inexplicable handprint faded and the texture of wood returned. He wondered, rather numbly, if her mind felt as perplexedly empty as his… before, slowly, his scientific curiosity and urge to explore were kindled mightily.

With only minor hesitation he placed his left index finger against the door. His ever careful sweetheart seemed twitchy, as if she wanted to reach out to stop him, yet reconsidered at the last second. After two seconds he pulled his digit back… once again there was a single green-glowing dot, stronger now, but fading just as quickly.

"Do you feel something? Does it hurt?" she asked, worry clearly in her voice as she nervously bit her knuckle, her eyes flickering anxiously between his face and his hand, trying to make sure that there wasn't even the slightest discomfort.

"Nothing… a little warmth, maybe…" he mumbled, focussing on his senses.

His right hand hadn't left such a trace, had it? He gingerly touched the door with the five fingers of his right, then removed it again… no reaction whatsoever.

"Just your left…" Zelda thought aloud, brow furrowed in concentration, do doubt hiding a veritably fireworks of thoughts and theories, but to him it was quite simple…

"My sword hand…" he stated, showing her a weird, thoughtful smile.

She nodded seriously after a second of pondering. "You are meant to be here…"

He didn't outwardly react to her words, but for reasons he wasn't quite sure of, they rang deeply within him. Fate… Destiny… What were they but the designs someone else deliberated for you? A concept he had always profoundly disfavoured…

"I wonder…" he grumbled, looking closely at Farore's leaf again. It was smoothly carved into the wood, then apparently painted with a dark red colour that had nearly faded over the centuries.

"The symbol?" she asked, as if she'd had the same idea.

Putting his index and middle finger together, and taking a deep breath, he touched the innermost point of the spiral within the arrowhead-shaped leaf around it. Immediately he felt energy sparking through his fingertips… powerful, but gentle and warming… despite the suddenness of the jolt, he felt little to no urge to pull his hand back. And there was something else… a tingle at the back of his head… as if someone were standing behind him, patiently waiting for him to turn around… as if someone had been waiting a long, long time…

He ignored both sensations, for now… Progress had to take priority. On a whim, he let his digits follow the smooth groove, leaving a faint trail of greenish glow in the spiral. Both of them held their breath in suspense at what might happen when he had completed his circular drawing of light…

The spiral flashed in a brilliant white while the rest of the room seemed to grow dark. The ground heaved and their vision blurred as if walls, floor and ceiling were in sudden motion. Instantly Link felt dizzy as he lost his orientation… then his blood froze when he saw the long body of the dragon, barely visible in the sudden gloom, writhe and twist. Zelda gasped in equal terror and grabbed his tunic. It was all he could do to remain standing as every tiny motion blurred his sight so much his eyes started to water. A deep, menacing groan reverberated through the hall, so heavy they could feel it through their soles all the way to their chests.

The dragon! Near panic, his gaze darted around, despite it making him nauseous, desperate to find its head, sure that if he couldn't they would have little time to regret their inability to react. The eldritch darkness and the unnatural fuzz before his eyes made it near impossible…

"There!" Zelda shrieked in his arms, pointing wildly.

His vision, as if constantly going in and out of focus almost couldn't follow her arm, but then, suddenly, he saw… The two yellow, glowing eyes, circling slowly around them. His hands turned cold and his breath caught in his throat as he drew his sword and shield. Would he have to fight this thing now?! How in the world would he even begin to do that?!

The walls were still alive with the constant stirring of the dragon's scaled and thorns, the long, droning rumble still so overpowering that it numbed his nerves. The shining eyes slowed, as if ready to finally strike. He raised his shield, thinking it a truly pitiful defence against such a foe…

A sharp crack that nearly burst their eardrums made them both gasp. He couldn't say where it had come from but… it had sounded decidedly… wooden! Now that he thought about it, the whole infernal noise that had ground their bones together had a quality of bending, twisting wood to it… combined with the fact that, surprisingly, they were still alive and not rent between enormous teeth…

With a final, violent lurch the room stopped shaking, the walls stopped twisting. The darkness faded… as did the strange force that had blurred their vision…

The circular hall now once again seemed as still as it had before that hellish dance, except it was now tinged in a soft, greenish light that, after a few seconds of fearful looking about, seemed to come from the emerald scales of the drawn beast. Link gazed upwards, toward the far side of the room… where, suddenly, the dragon's head crowned the high, arched exit… which no longer lead outside but into a hallway, followed by a larger hall deeper in the tree…

"How did…" he whispered, looking back and forth between the round gate behind and the way they came through in front. It was hard to be sure with all the quaking and jerking around, but he was reasonably sure that they hadn't moved… so...

"Link… the entire room..." she breathed, still clinging onto him. "It must have…"

"Rotated!" he finished for her, questioning both their sanity as he said it. He shook his head in disbelief. "Have you ever experienced something that was utterly impossible as well as ludicrous, yet still made somehow sense like this?"

Her short burst of incredulous laughter was answer enough. "There were no gaps in the doorway… it looked like perfect, uninterrupted wood all around… there is no conceivable way we could have moved but a centimetre! But the sudden shaking and vibrating, as well as the tortured groan of the tree around us… then again, how in the world did the painting move?! Nayru's wisdom, my head is still spinning, trying to comprehend!"

Link didn't even attempt to find an answer, instead just scratched his scalp. Two steps into the supposed resting place of a creature of legends and already they were faced with mystery over conundrum over enigma, stacked so high their minds almost couldn't apprehend… It worried him… but he found, much to his pleasure, that child-like wonder and the heart-thumping lust for exploration far outweighed any disquiet. Before he knew it, a wide grin graced his face. Never before, in all his years of exploring woods, caves and the abandoned mining tunnel he, Ricco and Marten had stumbled upon had his curious spirit been as tickled as it was now. The only thing that set his brain even more abuzz was when he gazed at the girl at his side and she, too, had a cautious, yet nonetheless eager smile adorning her radiant features. For a moment, he was surprised… but he knew he shouldn't have been. If anything, she was even more inquisitive than he was… and her sensible and careful, yet indomitable and infectious spirit of adventure was something he adored immensely. 'What better companion could a reckless idiot like me have?'

They beamed at each other wordlessly for at least ten seconds, before bursting out in laughter… He couldn't say whether madness had finally established its reign over their minds, or whether they were simply showing their relief that they had indeed not been gobbled up by a glowy-eyed wyrm… and that it all had the perfectly reasonable explanation that the tree had just spontaneously re-grown a part of itself within seconds. 'Whether madness or no', he thought as he pulled her into a goofily giggling kiss, 'this is a thousand times better than only breathless tension and fear!'

* * *

"Do we have any concept of what we are supposed to be doing?" Zelda asked as they had shed their backpacks and warily walked through the newly changed doorway.

"Not in the slightest." he answered with that peculiar giddiness still bubbling inside.

"Do you have any plan of where to go? What to watch out for? What to do? And, more importantly, what _not_ to do?" she questioned further, her tone somewhere between grumbling and amused.

"Nope." he quipped, peering eagerly into the large hall they were about to enter.

"So, in essence, we bumble around near blindly until we happen upon something… or something happens upon us, is that what you are insinuating?" she growled with a noticeable touch of annoyance.

"Precisely!" he pronounced, his grandioseness hampered somewhat by keeping his voice prudently low.

"You… are a dolt." she judged evenly, then chuckled despite her misgivings. "Looks like it's up to your _assistant_ to ensure both our safety and success."

"Absolutely!"

"Will you stop being so monosyllabic?! Or I swear, whatever dangers this place holds in store, it will be _me_ you are running from!" she fumed, actually stomping her foot, which only made her little tantrum infinitely more adorable.

Link wrested his eyes from the sight ahead, hard as that was, looked her square in the face and cleared his throat. "I wholeheartedly concur. With you keeping me on a tight leash while I proceed to monkey around with everything I see is a recipe for guaranteed triumph!"

The face she made did not bode well for his continued existence. While he loved keeping her teetering on that exciting edge between humour and outrage, he also knew when to abort.

"Alright, alright…" he said placatingly. "Come now, dumpling! Do you really believe I would just start off into a random direction like a giggling lunatic, tinker with whatever falls into my hands without rhyme or reason and, in addition, drag you after me?" He presented her his best ingenuous smile as he slowly stepped close again and, when her features softened, cupped her cheeks in his hands.

"I am fascinated by this place, Zelda! Incredibly so… And that _doesn't_ mean I will dart around like a child in a candy store. I want to understand this place! Learn its history, discover its secrets… So, naturally, we will proceed carefully and methodically, understand how everything works and what everything means. An academic approach… Agreed?"

He knew instantly that he had chosen the right words, for slowly her misgiving frown turned into a wry, impish grin between his hands. "One of these days one of your fantastical last-minute saves is going to come too late, sausage knight. And then you'll find out just how messy an exploding princess can get…" The flagrant danger in her voice shivered him in the most exciting of ways. He decided not to say anything, but instead kissed her briefly, but passionately, until she pushed him away in that hesitant, unwilling way that told him everything he needed to know. "That's enough of that, you! Get on with monkeying around!" she growled, slightly out of breath and stifling a giggle.

The corridor reached its end… and both made involuntary sounds of amazement at seeing the large hall that followed. 15 metres in diameter and twice as high, imperfectly round like the inside of a tree-trunk… in contrast to the dragon-room, this one did not seem fashioned in any way… but grown. There were wooden… candlestands, for the lack of a better word, but they held strange, crinkly pods, each glowing in a different colour… Their combined light provided a dim, yet oddly cosy atmosphere. The floor was covered with a chaotic array of tables, looking like the many shaped cross-sections of trees, as well as chairs of a hundred different shapes, some simple, some of delicately woven branches or vines… There were rugs of moss in many different shades of green, scattered about with no discernable order… The tables were littered with all kinds of things: bowls, spoons, paper with childlike drawings, books, toy swords, a slingshot, vases, pots… all made of wood… and everything seemed child-sized. The entire hall had the unmistakable air of a kids' common room, a place of constant disarray, of playing and fun. It would have looked incredibly sweet, had all the different utensils not appeared so sad, lonely and abandoned, as if all the children had at some point just vanished into thin air.

To the right, they discovered a smaller, though equally high room, its walls made up of hundreds of ingrown beds in varying sizes… There was no ladder to be seen, so the inhabitants either had to fly… or be incredibly gifted in jumping, as Maca had been…

To the left there was yet another round-ish room and it had clearly been a place for preparing and cooking food… There were various jars and containers strewn about, as well as the dried, but strangely not rotted, remains of leaves, vegetables and fruit. They both had felt brave and lifted lid after lid, discovering spices, greens, known and alien, honey, nuts… Their silently giggling exploration was only cut short when, from one innocently looking pot, a veritable flood of spiders gushed forth when Zelda tried to peek inside. To Link's deep admiration, she made not a single sound, but carefully placed the lid back down, took a measured step back, then shook herself with an expression of profound disgust.

All in all, their investigations were applaudably quiet, their movements cautious and deliberate, their conversations hushed. Just once overheard his dumpling mutter "Assistant!" darkly to herself, causing him to very nearly burst out laughing. The longer they were in here, however…

Link, while truly enamoured with this place and eager to let his fingers glide over ever surface, smooth or rough, and smell the invigoratingly earthy and resiny air, felt peculiar undertones of sorrow dampen his mood. Memories assaulted him, so faint he wasn't even sure they were indeed true recollections, or just wanderings of his mind. As he gazed over the main hall, he thought he briefly saw dozens of his playmates, running about, eating, playing, quarrelling… a deafening hubbub of so many different voices, talking, shouting, screaming in delight or frustration, laughing…

And now? Emptiness… and quiet…

"Is… everything alright?" Zelda asked timidly, placing a warm hand on his shoulder. Damn it all, he should have known that she would react to his sudden mournfulness immediately.

"Hm." he nodded. "It's just… so void…" He could see in her eyes that she hadn't experienced these particular glimpses of lively turmoil, but that she understood his meaning nonetheless.

"I…"

A sudden wooden rumble pierced the silence, making them both twitch and gasp in fright. It had clearly come from the one place they hadn't investigated yet: the corridor on the far side of the entrance.

After a quick, wide-eyed look at each other, they snuck towards it, now being doubly careful not to make any noise.

Creeping along the wall towards the corner, Link poked his head out just enough so he could see around it. A narrow, ten metre hallway, then a round portal, similar-looking than the one in the dragon-room, but open. His bowels cramped and his teeth gnashed involuntarily… Just behind it stood two figures: A tall, Rito warrior… and a slight, young-looking woman with jet black hair… and red eyes that seemed almost glowing in the gloom. Despite her physical presence appearing far more harmless than her companion's, Link's gaze seemed drawn towards her and he felt like a lone deer in the woods, watching the approach of a merciless predator.

The two's gazes were locked tightly, her posture relaxed, while his was tense and… almost pained. She gestured with her right hand and spoke a few words he couldn't hear… but a nasty shiver coursed through his body, followed by a wave of goosebumps.

An angry frown passed over the woman's features and she repeated the gesture, a lot more forceful this time. The warrior bent forward and groaned as if in sudden agony… upon which the faint smile was returned to her face.

Link felt hot anger flash through his mind and his grip around his sword tightened until his knuckles turned white. Whatever that witch was doing here, she had already shown enough evil intent that he wanted to eject her from this once serene place. But what to do?

Stay back to keep in the relative safety of being hidden? Then he would allow her to continue on deeper within the Deku Tree, to do whatever she pleased unchecked.

Challenge her, then? That might once again risk Zelda's wellbeing…

He bared his teeth, furious at himself that he lacked the foresight to make a decision.

"Hmm…" a smooth, silky woman's voice cracked the silence. "Suddenly I smell…" she mused to herself… then suddenly turned her head and, to his utter shock, looked directly at him, crimson eyes wide open. "… a coward…"

As clandestinely as he could, he pushed his charge back, who had, of course, not resisted peeking around the corner herself.

Then, rising slowly while keeping his hands ready to draw his steel, he stepped into full view. "Who are you and what are you doing here?" he asked, pleasantly surprised how calm his voice sounded despite his heart hammering in his throat.

The sinister girl gave a disappointed sigh. "And here I was hoping for something interesting from the _Protector of the Light_ …" she snarled, ridicule oozing from her voice. "And so late you are too! Now I don't even have time to play with you children. I am almost done here. Say bye-bye!" she sing-songed, waving with her hand like a small kid. Then she turned back around towards her Rito companion. "Now, my dear, I have another task. Keep them off my back, hm?" she lilted almost sweetly, then made off further into the corridor without another look back.

Throwing caution to the wind, Link started sprinting after her. He couldn't let her get away! She knew who they were! That could only mean one thing…

The tall warrior stepped forward and the heavy wooden log-door slid closed behind him. He wanted to yell 'Out of the way!', but before he could so much as squawk, the magnificent, slivery white feathers of the large bird started glowing light blue and he spread his mighty wings. For a moment, only a few steps away, Link saw the empty, far off stare in the man's face… then a split second of complete silence… then the Rito made a solitary beat with his wings… and a sudden gust of wind buffeted him across the face and chest, driving all air out of his lungs as if he had been hit by a battering ram. His head snapped forward and briefly everything turned black… until he crashed into the floor about five metres away from where he had been before. The hit was hard and painful, but his training and lightning quick reflexes kicked in, making him roll as controlled as possible until he had both his feet on the ground again. He jumped forward his legs propelling him fro standstill to full-speed in an instant, trying to get to his adversary, who's glowing wings were already carrying out their next stroke. The second blast seemed even stronger, driving his eyes into his skull and making his ears ring in protest. He remained standing through sheer force of will, at an impossible angle, his clothes tearing painfully at him, dragging him further back with each moment. He could neither see nor hear, as he had to shield his face from the brutal onslaught of wind… if the Rito decided to swoop forward to end it, he would have little to offer as resistance… and despite all his furious strength, he couldn't even gain a single centimetre.

Yelling a foul curse, which was swallowed by the immense noise anyway, he turned away, allowing himself to be propelled towards the common room. The wind here was milder, yet still the force of a hurricane. Stemming himself against the storm once more, he hurriedly looked around for Zelda, hoping he wouldn't see her collapsed against a wall…

He couldn't spot her! He tried to find a mane of golden hair but, to his increasing terror, couldn't. Where…?

He heard something! Extremely faint through the ear-piercing rushing… Her voice! His head darted to the right, to the opening for the 'bedroom', praying…

Yes! There she stood, holding on tight in the relatively calm doorway, hair waving wildly. Thank the three!

He looked back towards the Rito and saw, with a chill in his bones, that he was coming closer, feathers and wings glowing brightly blue…

He had to get them out of here! This warrior was not the enemy he needed to fight! But he had no idea how he could overcome him without… without death… So the only option was retreat… for now.

As quickly as possible, using everything he could to keep himself standing as ever increasingly vicious gusts battered him, he made his way towards her.

She reached out, her hand jolting back and forth as she, too, was pelted by the storm. He grabbed her, then pulled her close and out of the doorway to the bedroom. Painfully slowly he manoeuvred them to the exit, keeping her ducked, shielding her between his body and the wall.

The Rito had stridden into the hall with them… and flapped… Link gritted his teeth and tensed his muscles until they hurt, bracing himself against the wall.

The impact nearly smashed him into unconsciousness… as if a Hinox's fist had ground his head against the bark. Zelda screamed as wooden bowls, knives and tables alike crashed against the walls, bursting into sharp shrapnel around them. Like a miracle, they were spared from any larger collisions, though every little projectile felt like a punch from Ricco against Link's back.

When the initial burst had abated, he once again dragged their way towards the exit.

Yelling inanely with fear and exertion, he let the storm drive them into the dragon-room, then broke their speed as best as he could before they crashed into the wall. With a last, hasty look back, he saw nothing but a pair of glowing wings… With flying fingers he drew the spiral, praying to the goddesses that his shaky hand wasn't cause enough for the spell to fail…

Darkness fell… as did sound… and the weird, blurry, motion surrounded them once more, so disturbing before, now suddenly carrying almost intoxicating relief.

They both clung to each other, breathing heavily as the insane wind had made it almost impossible to take the air.

When the odd, lurching motion and wavering darkness finally stopped, Link quickly checked on his protégé in his arms, making sure that she was unharmed.

"Link… I'm fine!" she deflected his attempts brusquely, launching into her own diagnostic search on him. "Are you hurt? Were you hit?!" she asked quickly, trying to inspect his head and back.

"No." he lied… Everything hurt, but not badly. Another thing was far more pressing on his mind.

"Come, we have to get out of this room! We don't know whether this guy can open it from his side and I don't want to be in here to find out!" he detailed rapidly.

Zelda gazed at him wide eyed for an instant, then nodded curtly.

They snatched their backpacks which, luckily, had only been blown across the room and hadn't spilled their contents, then hastened out…

Where a bunch of Rito swords greeted them…

* * *

Huzzah for cliffhangers!

 **I'd be particularly interested to hear, whether I got the... visuals, for the lack of a better word, right and whether you have a vivid picture in your mind how it's all supposed to look.**

 **Thanks, as always, for your support!**


	48. Chapter 47

**Shorter chapter, but a lot earlier for it. And still quite a lot going on in it…**

Chapter 47

Link

Link did not have much time to react to the harrowingly grim looking reception committee… but at the sight of drawn steel and so many furious looking Rito eyes, his mind and body snapped instantly to maximum focus.

In the time it took for Zelda to gasp with shock, he had already assembled a concept of their disheartening odds. Seven warriors, their curved, slim shortswords poised in an unmistakably aggressive way, at least three more, hidden between roots and behind vines, arrows nocked, bows at the ready to be drawn within an instant…

His eyes darted to and fro at a dizzying speed, his brain fuming with trying to find ways to break through, each more desperate than the last. In that one, heart-stopping second where time stood still, his infinitely heightened senses perceived every vibration of feathers on a tensing arm, every angry, combat-ready snarl, even the tiniest subconscious movements that might betray a sudden attack… including the minute flicker of one male's eyes to a point right above them…

The hairs in Link's neck instantly stood on end…

Letting his reflexes take control, he roughly pulled on Zelda's backpack as he jumped backwards, tearing her with him with a strangled yelp just as he heard the slightest noise from over their heads.

He felt something brush all too close by his back and not a moment later an ear-shattering clatter pierced the silence right where they had just stood. Wide eyed, he snapped around, shedding his pack and pulling up his shield in one fluent move, while looking, deeply startled, at what had just narrowly missed them. A heavy net, fashioned of thick rope and weighted with at least 12 fist-sized cast-iron balls tied to its edges… Eyes growing eve wider, he was suddenly painfully aware that this thing might not only have yanked them brutally to the ground, it also could have easily crushed their skulls, had they been less lucky… or a miniscule amount slower… With a sting in his insides, so sharp as if a knife had been driven into his guts, he imagined Zelda being hit by one of the cruel weights, collapsing, going limp, never rising again…

The world turned colourless as stunned shock turned to ice-cold rage within a heartbeat…

The three Rito, the ones who must have dropped the terrifying contraption, swooped down not a second after the knee-rumbling shock of the impact. He saw that all three already carried a drawn knife in their fists… he also saw the smug grin on their faces that seemed to say "This will be over in a flap"… Obviously they were confident that they would succeed where their trap had failed… Three weathered warriors against two Hylian children, the boy surely quaking in his booties from all the cold iron around him… easy pickings!

Link gritted his teeth until they audibly crunched. They would have preciously little time to understand just how mistaken they were… and he would end this before he ever found out whether they aimed at restraining him… or whether the knives in their hands were meant to be bloodied today.

The first one didn't fly at him directly. He presumably wanted to zip around to get at him from behind… he let him pass… for now.

The second dashed for his torso, hanging impossibly, almost motionlessly in the air to Link's eye, winged arms outstretched to ram into him… he would be the first.

His mind both seething and brutally, coldly calculating, he reached to draw his sword… His muscles were already flexed, but a millisecond away from freeing his death-bringing steel, his boiling blood a reflection of the hot aggression he sensed from his three opponents, when something, some fine, final splinter of sanity, of mercy held him back… a miniscule ray of light in the place of near complete dark he was in… and he had no doubt where this timely saving grace came from… or rather, from whom… Shifting his grip but a tiny bit, he drew his sheath together with his sword from his belt… The sheer cold that had taken his heart had been warmed, but the unforgiving steel in his soul remained. He would not allow these bastards, who had so casually endangered her life, to lay a hand on her… or him for that matter.

With the unfathomable speed that he was given for reasons still unknown to him, he crouch-stepped, almost casually, under the diving birdman. Then, with his jaw grimly set, he bashed his shield upwards, hitting its flat surface right into his attacker's chest and stomach with a clangorous thwack.

Never stopping his forward motion, he greeted the third approaching foe, whose superior smirk, in satisfying, anticipating slow-motion, turned to startled bafflement. Twisting gracefully out of the suddenly doubtful bird's flight path, he carried out a swift downwards strike, little more than a rap, across the guy's shoulder blades, enough to drive out any fighting spirit, without actually injuring him.

Using his momentum for his turn, he spotted the first assailant, who had just finished his hairpin curve and now looked suitably confused because his prey had inexplicably vanished… His glide, now unexpectedly not interrupted by the weight of a certain young Hylian, carried him back forward… right where said Hylian waited. The look of sudden terror lasted only a fraction of a second before Link's blessedly sheathed sword smacked against the frightened poultry's wing as he tore past, turning the already precariously fast flutter into an uncontrolled, twisting plummet… right towards the remaining seven, aghast warriors who had had no time to react thus far.

Two more strides and Link was back at Zelda's side, completing an unbroken, elegant circle of fluent, lightning quick movement.

His hot, briefly flaring rage momentarily appeased as the three would-be attackers had received swift judgement, the normal flow of time returned along with the world's colour just as he raised his shield in a defensive posture. The effects were immediate and almost simultaneous… He had, in fact, been so fast that none of his three opponents had, as of yet, finished their trajectory… The first was actually speedy enough that he reached his seven colleagues, three of which where bowled over as they painfully broke their comrade's fall. The second, the one he had hit from below with his shield had been lifted high into the air, had passed over their heads through the arched doorway and now landed heavily, far into the dragon-room. The third had already splatted flatly onto the bosky ground, his momentum grinding him a few feet over it to finally stop right at their feet…

Astonished, Link did quick mental math how quick he must have been, but snapped back into reality as he had to focus on other, more pressing things. The remaining battle-ready Rito closed ranks at once, clearly a lot more wary than two seconds ago…

Link swallowed heavily. The sudden, near overpowering bloodlust at having narrowly escaped grave injury, then seeing three armed attackers descend recklessly upon them was thankfully gone… but it had left a filthy aftertaste. If that one flicker of light hadn't struck through the dark thunderstorm of rage… the thought of what he had been so dreadfully close to becoming worried him so much it nearly made him retch. Thankfully, he had instinctively reached for the light like a lifeline… and had been shocked back to reason.

The feathered warriors had rallied exceptionally… they must have been well trained. Determination still strongly visible in their stances, they seemed ready to approach… He could feel Zelda behind him tense up even more, as if she intuited more incoming hostility. Link knew he had to do something… and fast!

"Halt, all of you!" he bellowed, still angry at the unwarranted, misguided aggression. "I am knight-aspirant Link Andrésson and I have no quarrel with you! You attacked us without warning and I defended myself. Don't make me do so again!" He hoped that the bare steel in his voice would be enough so he wouldn't have to use the one in his hand. Judging by his protégée's nervous fumbling at his tunic, she wasn't convinced that his approach was the right one… and neither was he… But he understood that their opponents currently saw them as nothing but enemies, for reasons he wasn't yet completely sure of. So, to have a chance at diplomacy, he first had to make it clear that they might have to pay with more than they might be willing to, should it come to arms.

Whether they were impressed or not, he couldn't say… For now he was glad enough that they seemed to pause at his direct appeal. For an endless-seeming moment, no-one moved or spoke and as it dragged on, became almost certain that his attempt had failed.

"Hold." one in their ranks finally barked. A relatively young one, one of the two that had picked themselves back up after their comrade had crashed into them, with dark red plumage and an expression that betrayed his deep displeasure at having to parley. His next, hissed words, only strengthened this first impression. "Your title means nothing here, _Hylian_!" he all but spat the last word. "You crept into our domain, you stole one of our relics and you defiled our home and don't you deny it!" The sheer, saturated hate that was flung at him made Link flinch… This went far past the mere trespassing they had, admittedly, committed. There was much more festering beneath…

Still, he was not about to graciously accept such preposterous allegations. "I do deny it! I understand we are not welcome here, but we have committed no crimes against your people." he stated, calmly but with the proper emphasis.

"We would never do such a thing!" Zelda cried, clearly appalled by the idea.

"You dare lie in the face of such evidence, groundling?" the young captain fumed, waving his sword around wildly in enragement. "You came out of the hallowed temple inside the Ancient Guardian, maggot! How did you enter, if not with the key which you stole?!" He scraped his clawed foot over the earth, throwing it up behind him… the Rito gesture equivalent to spitting in your face. Combined with the smug 'I-got-you-now-grin' he sported, Link had to take a deep breath to keep his own temper in check.

"We have no key. I opened the portal simply by touching it. Besides, how would we have stolen anything from the flying folk, groundlings that we are?"

"Your answers are as dubious as your intentions. The key we'll get back from you, one way or the other… but where is Tamali? What have you done with him? Speak, you lying filth!" he spat, taking a step forward and glaring at them with nothing but hatred in his eyes.

Link swallowed as a cold shiver ran down his spine… "I don't know of whom you speak." He answered truthfully enough, as he did know beyond doubt whether they were referring to the rooster they had encountered in the tree. "We have not-"

"He followed you into the tree to retrieve the key you sto-"

"We did not steal anything, you pea-brained pigeon!" Link roared, taking a very combative step forward. He'd heard enough foolish accusations from this imbecile and would tolerate them no longer! It pleased him to see the dolt jump back in line hurriedly, and to find the others twitch uncertainly before his rage.

"And neither do we lie! If we were the enemies you are so ready to see us as, why have I spared the three chickenshits who assaulted us with no provocation?! How would we have reached your nest all the way up there?! Why would I even try to parley after having suffered your hostility, if not to persuade you of our innocence?!" Zelda at his back gripped his tunic and made a miserable little sound in pure tension. He knew she would have tried to solve this differently… but these weren't politicians, they were warriors! Worse… angry warriors… She could show her diplomatic prowess once he had gotten them past bare steel and murderous intent.

To his slight relief he spotted a few hesitant faces, a few questioning glances at each other in their ranks.

"Of course you would try to talk your way out of this! You know resistance against all of us would get you nowhere!" the leader squawked stubbornly, but even he now lacked the unthinking, dangerous conviction he had had just a moment ago.

Still, Link decided that enough was enough… enough pointless allegations, enough mindless insults. His gaze turned hard, like a predator ready for the kill. "If you keep trying me, I'll show you just how much I can resist…" he spoke, slowly, darkly… not threatening… merely promising.

"Link… stop… please!" Zelda whispered pleadingly from behind, touching his arm as if to hold it back. He nearly recoiled… the imploration and anguish in her voice had startled him deeply. It took all his self-control to keep himself from turning around… and half again as much not to show his unease and surprise at how… sinister he had sounded. That black fire that had so very nearly engulfed him previously still smouldered, it seemed… It filled him with profound disgust… even more so with shame as he saw that fear had suddenly taken hold on the Rito's faces. He now understood just how frightened they really were, even before their clash… They had been attacked in the one place they thought they had to themselves… their sanctuary, their safe haven… Veneli had mentioned how every smile flickered… every feather quivered…

Making a choice of questionable prudence, he slowly lowered his shield, exposing himself completely while making sure he was still protecting Zelda with his body. They were not the enemy! The foolish leader of this flock was helpless, desperate... he wanted the two Hylians to be the enemy, just so he could _do_ something, hoping against hope that that would solve everything, make everything well again… He pitied him…

"I don't want to fight you…" he said, calmly, as he purposefully relaxed his stance, standing up straight and taking a measured step towards them. "I never wanted that. The Rito are not my enemy." He couldn't take back his words… and frankly, he didn't regret them, no matter how much he loathed how he had nearly lost control… twice… But they had served their purpose. They had stunned them into a brief silence, had stopped the blind raving of their leader, which had been nothing but a frantic attempt at justifying his next, doubtlessly violent orders… both in front of his warriors, and in front of himself… The nasty assurance Link had given had perhaps shocked a little sense back into them… and he was going to use it!

"We could possibly not have done what you accused us of… and we have no reason to. Don't let your emotions turn you dishonourable! I am sure the noble warriors of the Winds would not want to turn into butchers who killed two innocents without even hearing them out…"

"Please listen to him!" Zelda implored, her high, clear voice making their opponents twitch. She stepped to his side before he could stop her, extending her hands off her side in a gesture of openness. He hated how exposed she was now… easily visible for the three or four warriors who still had their bows aimed at them… but he knew that if anyone radiated sincerity and veracity it was her. "All we want is to speak to your chieftain, to explain ourselves! Please, I beg of you, help us to redeem our names!"

He knew immediately her heartfelt plea had tipped the scales… served as the last drop that swayed their hearts away from unthinking revenge and back to sense… and compassion. Still, it took a long, eternal moment for them to consider…

"What do you propose?" the leader asked, his voice strained.

The wave of relief that washed over Link made his feet go numb and his head feel light… no more violence would occur here… Zelda and he were safe from their desperate fury… and they were safe from him.

A moment later he shivered as if he felt cold. The staggering madness that had so very nearly taken place here made his skin tingle as if it were exposed to icy wind… A single errant movement, one word out of line… and it could have led to horrific bloodshed. And this terrifying black fury within him… useful, maybe… but at what might it have cost him, had he given in?

"Link… what do you propose?" Zelda asked softly, gently shaking him by his arm.

Blinking a few times, he tediously wrested himself back into the present. As hard as it was, he suppressed his guilty thoughts, pulled himself from this ponderous paralysis, so that he could focus on the task at hand.

"I propose the following…" he began, recollecting himself. "I will lay down my arms. I do not expect you to do the same, though I would greatly appreciate it, were you to sheathe them. As my companion has said, we urgently need to speak to your chieftain, not only clear our names, but to explain our presence here altogether."

"And to offer our assistance in whatever way we can!" she interjected. He glanced at her for a moment. She had that fierce look she got whenever she was determined to lend aid to all that were in need of it... no matter that they had only moments ago been fixed on assaulting them. Smiling faintly, but lovingly at her miraculous character, he turned back to them. "Aye, that too."

"What makes you think we depend on the help of two Hylians?!" the captain asked snappily. Oh, that blustery Rito pride… thankfully, Link had expected such a reaction.

"We don't. We are merely offering assistance, should it be wished-for." he answered with an audibly warning undertone, cautioning against careless provocation.

"Hmph!" the warrior hmph-ed, but made a visible effort to dam his roiling emotions. "Remember that you are _not_ welcome here, Hylian. _If_ the grand chieftain wants to see you and you fail to give him or my people the respect due, I will kill you." He spoke calmly now, much more like a diligent protector than a rabid avenger, even though his words had no lack of aggression… He now had the bearing of someone Link could understand and adapt to, someone who wouldn't lash out in a surge of emotion… and could therefore be reasoned with. The first step to true victory, as Sir Alistair would have said…

"I understand." he replied concisely and Zelda followed up with "I give you my word, we intend no discourtesy. It was not irreverence that made us come here, but urgent and honest purpose!"

He eyed her for many seconds, trying to find the deception in her words. "We shall see…" he mumbled, when he, naturally, didn't detect even a flicker. He turned towards the woman to his right. "Tell the grand chieftain what has happened here. Tell him we have captured two Hylians who might know what happened to Tamali. Off!" he commanded and the addressed ascended immediately.

"You, male! Step forward with both of your weapons and place them upon the ground!" he barked, using his shortsword to point at a spot halfway between him and his 'captives'.

Link nodded, then nodded again at Zelda's questioning glance. He forgave the young captain his abrasive tone, as it bothered him no longer. The guy had basically lost this entire encounter, as he, by allowing them an audience with his boss, now had more or less admitted his overextension with this matter, if not the fallacy in his actions. Letting him show what a tough ol' bird he was would keep him comfortable and, therefore, under control.

He waited until she had unfastened her rapier, then brought it, together with his blade, to the indicated spot, stepping around the unconscious body of the third attacker, and placed them down gently. He then unclasped his knife from his belt and put it down as well. The back of his neck tingled from being scrutinized by so many tense eyes… He felt their lingering anxiety, bordering on fear at having him so close when he had proven how quickly he could move. A seasoned commander would have ordered Zelda to bring both their arms forward, and not him… still he was glad she didn't have to stand in the middle of all attention, centred in a circle of frightened hostility.

He looked back up at the fidgeting captain, giving him a cool stare. "From warrior to warrior, I ask you, personally, to ensure that our weapons are well taken care of. I'm sure I don't need to tell you the importance of an intact blade in these dangerous times…" he requested, keeping his tone level and respectful, like one man at arms talking to his equal.

The internal struggle within the young captain was clearly written on his scrunched up face. Obviously, he wanted to tell his captive where and how deep he could shove his plea. Yet that would inevitably mean, by the complex logic of Rito honour, that he forsook his moral high ground as the warrior of the Winds he had been addressed as. The only way he could escape this predicament was if he denied Link's status as a fighter to be taken seriously… which would, in itself, appear downright childish in front of his men and women, seeing how decisively the short altercation between the boy and his men had ended. A rather devious trap he'd set up… and Link was quite proud of it.

"You have my word…" the defeated soldier finally uttered, glaring at him.

"I thank you." he replied, standing back up straight and moving away from the pile of sharp metal. "Now, I suggest the two of us step over there and you can collect your two colleagues. There are basic medical supplies in that backpack over there. You are welcome to them, if you need them." He knew this act of charity would irk them, but once they all had time to calm down, they would, hopefully, see it as more proof of their amity. Besides… his lingering bad conscience at having to neutralize them so harshly demanded that he at least offer their help.

As a few of the Rito moved past to collect the one that had been catapulted into the dragon-room, he tried to gauge the hasty glances they shot him. Wary, mistrustful… but, if he was any judge, more curious than hostile. They sure weren't happy about them being here, and even less so that he had so easily dispatched three of their friends, but… instinctively, they probably felt that these two Hylians, so little more than children, were not at the root of their troubles.

The three beaten warriors were soon nursed back to consciousness and, thankfully, they all seemed to have gotten away with just bad bruises. A tentative proposal from Zelda, offering her help was curtly declined.

Little later, the hen who had been sent to inform the chieftain returned, bringing his permission that the captives may be brought into their nesting grounds.

The captain snorted something about 'Hylians in our sanctuary', but ultimately had to submit.

"You two! Pick up your packs! You will not leave your litter at the gates to the temple, understand?" he snarled, trying to maintain his tough-guy act, but it was obvious how relieved he was that he now had clear orders and wouldn't have to make a momentous decision.

Eager to move, the two complied. Both were vividly aware that, while they tried to exonerate themselves, important as that might be, the fiendish woman inside the Deku Tree had free rein to do as she pleased… The thought, clearly communicated through wordless, worried eye-contact, chilled them both to the bone. But, given their hasty retreat from the tree's inside, they suspected that they would require the Rito people's aid… And who knows? Maybe the act of helping each other would lead to mutual trust, or even friendship?

"Right, now follow! Oh, and I want you to remember…" the young captain lowered his voice as he addressed Link directly. "There will be arrows aimed at you at every moment… from more directions than one. Make no mistake about how serious we are about defending our home, Hylian." The old aggression was, for a brief moment, back in his voice and sombre determination radiated from his eyes. They both felt his sincerity prickling on their skin… a passion stemming from the fervent wish to see his homeland's peace restored.

Had they been friends, Link would have grasped the man's shoulder in a firm grip and promised to do his utmost to see this wish fulfilled… That he, in this idiotic situation of enmity, could do nothing to offer even the slightest consolation, filled him with sorrow… especially since their interests were, beneath all moronic antagonising, so closely aligned. "We both understand more keenly than you can imagine, friend." He answered, letting heavy, mournful honesty reverberate in his tone. "It is for the same reason we began our quest…"

A curious expression crossed the man's features, his perceived enemy's dolefulness echoed in his soul… but he rallied quickly and curtly ordered the men not supporting the stricken three to form a loose circle around them as they walked.

They escaped the thicket of roots and vines, resurfacing to the spectacular vista of the Guardian in the setting sun. Looking up its mighty trunk, Link still felt a bout of dizziness. He could just about spot the few huge branches along the southern side that carried the peculiar, round huts of the bird-people, now tinted in fiery oranges and reds.

So far up… two hundred metres at least! How would they be brought up, he wondered.

They walked for another five minutes, their escort always very close, hands never far from their weapons… Their tension was palpable.

They reached a spot in the vast clearing around the Deku Tree, special only because of what had been placed on it. A large thick cloth, spread out on the ground with a number of thick ropes going off radially. The middle patch, about two by two metres, seemed thicker than the rest.

"Lie down in the middle! Quickly, I want you out of my feathers!" the captain crowed. "We use it whenever we have to transport something heavy… crates, barrels, firewood… and many other manner of rubbish!" he added snidely, earning a snicker from the others. "Hope you're fine with heights!"

Link let the poorly veiled insolence bounce off of him and, feeling both eager and queasy at once, lay down as instructed. Judging by how it felt, it appeared to be a wicker mat, sewn into sturdy cloth. He noticed the straps all around the middle… this was clearly no simple means of shifting goods, but a contraption to safely transport other Rito when they were too wounded to fly by themselves.

Zelda seemed to grasp its use at the same time. "Use it to first bring your injured to safety! Their need is more urgent than ours at the moment!" she insisted. Prudent, as she always was, but ignoring a glaring error from a tactical standpoint…

"And leave you here, virtually unguarded? Bah! You have to try harder to deceive us, Hylian wench!" he huffed.

Whether it was the baseless accusation, the, in her eyes, unforgivable carelessness with his subordinates, or the downright suicidal use of the word 'wench', now it was her whose temper had been kindled. "I am not trying to deceive you, you pompous fool! For the final time, we are not your enemy! How can you be so blind?! Anyway, his arm is clearly broken and, from the way he walks, he might have a cracked rib or two. So make an attempt at being a real military commander, and get your men the attention they need first!" she fumed, pointing her elegant finger at the poor bird's face regally.

Link's face twisted in another sting of guilt… clearly he had not judged how much damage he had done correctly… or hadn't wanted to. Though now that she had said it, it was pretty obvious… How easy… how dreadfully easy it was to do harm, to destroy…

Still, he had it better than the young captain… The poor guy looked as if he had been slapped. It wasn't easy standing up to Zelda's rage… despite her small, petite frame, the sheer force of her personality and her ability to find precisely the words that stung the most was enough to make grown, hardy men feel like they are children, getting scolded by their mother.

"Th… you… how… I-I have my orders!" the Rito rallied as gracefully as he could. "And besides, don't you dare underestimate the strength of my comrades! They know their duty."

"I don't doubt that! Do you know yours?!" she countered, sharper than any weapon in Hyrule.

"Listen, you little-"

"Enough!" Link interrupted, his voice calm but forceful. He knew he had to interrupt before something escaped the Rito's beak that might force him to do something… unwise. "My partner is correct in her assessment, you should think of your injured first. I swear, by the Three, we will sit here and will not move a muscle until you return. You can bind my hands and feet, if it makes you feel better."

He could see him thinking furiously, weighing the truth in his perceived antagonist's words with his fears.

"Fine!" he finally spat. "Mokli, bind him. Notts and Halvi, make sure he doesn't try anything while she is busy. The others, get them back home!"

So it was done. The youngish girl tied his wrists with trembling hands, then made him sit down so she could do the same to his ankles. Nevertheless, she did a decent job… he was sufficiently immobilized and hoped the captain's return didn't take too long, as his fingers already started to tingle.

"How are your hands?" Zelda asked, concerned, as they sat back to back. He could feel her fidget and sensed how much composure she had to expend to not turn around and check herself.

"They'll be fine…" he replied, looking at their three nervous guards in turn.

"…How… how are you feeling?" she questioned hesitantly.

He tried to glance over his shoulder to catch a glimpse at her expression. There had been something in her voice… something was troubling her…

"I am fine… why do you ask?"

"Mmh… I… never mind… later…" she responded enigmatically. Now _he_ was worried…

In the end, it only took about ten minutes for the warriors to return. Link politely asked that he be untied and, somewhat to his surprise, they consented. It put him in a hopeful mood… maybe they had already more or less convinced them of their innocence?

Zelda and he were ushered to lie in the middle of the cloth.

"Let's see how Hylians take to the air!" the young captain laughed derisively, but even this maliciousness seemed hollow. Still, Link noticed his beloved's slightly cramped expression and, uncaring of what their 'captors' might think, placed his arm tightly around her to grab one of the straps on her other side. Her brief, thankful smile flickered with the same worry he had sensed in her voice… 'Later', she had already said… any word from her was as good as a promise, so he refrained from pestering her out of respect… despite how much the questions itched on his tongue.

Six Rito grabbed the ropes that extended outward from the cloth, then began fluttering upwards until the fabric around them rose until taut, making them feel caught in a strange tent. Link braced himself, and just in time. At a barked command, the six, as one, ascended in a sudden gust of wind, so abruptly that he felt the air being pressed out of his lungs. The bird-people's powers over the winds might have been fascinating, but they did not lend themselves to comfortable travelling… Each beat of their wings sent a mighty shiver through the suddenly very flimsy-seeming contraption, shaking them up and down and from side to side… Before the take-off, he had regretted not being able to see through the thick cloth, but now he wasn't quite sure if that would have actually been a good thing… He suspected that their hosts might currently be taking rather less than optimal care about providing a smooth flight for their honoured Hylian guests… so seeing what sort of aerial acrobatics they were performing with them dangling in this precarious net might have had certain detrimental effects on their sanity… not to mention the contents of their bowels.

He couldn't say how long their time in the tent of horrors actually was… five minutes? Ten? In any case, they felt themselves placed surprisingly softly onto a creaking, wooden ground. He allowed himself a small sigh of relief, then swore heartily under his breath. "Everything alright, dumpling?" he asked carefully as he couldn't see her face under her golden mane of hair. To his sweet surprise she raised her head and awarded him a radiant smile, her cheeks flushed and her eyes sparkling. "That was strangely fun!" she giggled. All he could do was snort a little laugh in disbelief and shake his head, grinning. No day passed without a surprise from his little angel.

The sides of the cloth were lowered and they immediately spotted the young captain waiting impatiently. It amused Link tremendously to see his sardonic smirk wither and die at seeing his captives' levity.

"Get up, you! Oh, and better don't look over the edge. I can guarantee you, none of my men will dive after you, if you fall over…" he squawked grumpily.

"I can assure you, neither of us will put your words to the test." Link replied levelly as they stood up.

"Pity. Follow! And if I sense _any_ hostility from you, Hylian... my archers need only my signal." He threatened, clattering angrily with his beak.

The accosted only nodded. He could feel their captor's anxiousness and that, despite his overextension with the situation as a whole, he would fight to the death to defend his people… He could respect that.

In general, he sensed a distinct air of tension… despite it being early evening, there was no movement anywhere in the village. Possibly, they had all been ordered to stay in their spherical huts, as potential aggressors needed to be moved through… He couldn't really say, but he got the impression that many nervous pairs of eyes were watching him right now through cracks and slits, whispering among themselves concernedly. He threw a sidelong glance at Zelda and saw his suspicions confirmed. Her expression was clenched and sorrowful… If he already felt the reproachful suspense in the air, he had no idea what storms of emotion must churn inside her beautiful soul… compared to her, he was as responsive as a brick!

Resisting the urge to pull her into an embrace so he could tell her that they would find a way to appease these people rent his heart in two… But a quick, clandestine squeeze of her fidgeting hand he couldn't, and wouldn't, refrain from.

With deep regret, Link found that he currently had no mind for the exotic beauty of this place. They had landed on a, for this village, rather wide platform, which clearly had been built for these kinds of transports. It was fashioned on the farthest parts of the mighty branch that seemed to support the majority of the peculiar, round huts in their many colours. One branch further down and two smaller ones further up, all offset so they didn't rob each other's sunlight, were also developed like this, though to a slightly lesser degree. They each were connected with the occasional narrow stair or hanging bridge, just as there were walkways criss-crossing between the different nests, sometimes forking off, going slightly up or down to connect every building to the main 'road' that was the Deku Tree's branch. It all seemed… grown… like another large organism, living in harmonious symbiosis with the Guardian… Normally this one sight alone would electrify him, but he diligently curbed this impulse, as there were things to be done.

He hoped, with all the power of a bright-eyed child's lust for exploration, that he would have time, and permission, to detect all the little wonders of this place, to find all its hidden vistas… and to share every last impression with the magnificent girl he wanted to always be at his side.

Over narrow, wobbling and creaking planks of wood they made their way closer to the gigantic trunk. The word 'humongous' seemed to creep up in his mind, seeming to describe best the dimensions that seemed so indescribable… But, with a slight smirk on his face, he knew that she would wrinkle her nose at that colloquialism.

Of course, neither of them could resist the temptation of looking down for more than a minute… It was a fascinating view, so much nothing right under one's feet… at least that's what his mind thought… his stomach had quite different things to say… Still, all queasiness aside, a spellbound smile grew on his face. Sadly, it was short lived, as the Rito behind him gruffly pushed him to get on with it.

Meandering through the strange, but nonetheless eye-pleasing huts, they reached a sort-of plaza, made of wooden planks affixed to the branch below, already quite close to the trunk. This wider space was also surrounded by many of these nests, big and small… this was clearly a meeting place, maybe even a market, judging by the many crates and few stall-like constructions about. Their armed procession moved towards a relatively tiny sphere that, differently than the others, seemed rough and unadorned. The rickety-looking door was opened and inside it was completely dark.

The young captain pointed rudely at him, then towards inside. "You, male! You will wait in here until the elder is ready to see you!" he cawed.

Link frowned. Instinctively, he shot a glance at Zelda, who seemed just as taken aback as he felt.

"No." the Rito answered harshly before he could even be asked. "You will be separated. We will not have you colluding Winds know what before we're convinced of your intentions. In there, now!"

He squared his shoulders, feeling his temper rise once again. He had already taken a deep breath and opened his mouth when a tender, warm hand grasped his wrist. "I will be alright, Link!" she tried to soothe him. "We don't mean any harm… and we want them to believe us. We too have to show some trust, don't we?"

He knew her words were true… and he would have done the same, were he in the Rito's position. But nevertheless, letting her out of his eyes in a place that, regrettably, was not well-disposed felt like a terribly frightening idea!

He gazed into her eyes… those big, sky-blue eyes… and saw the conviction in them. So, despite it going against all his instincts, he decided to trust her on this.

"Take care, Rito…" he said, still looking deeply into those eyes he could look into for hours on end. The thought that this might be the last time he saw their sparkle… his head snapped to face the addressed, and he could see how something in his gaze made him go pale in a second. "Take _very_ good care…" It was little more than a whisper, but there was no need for any more.

Without another word, Link allowed himself to be escorted into the small room, which he quickly identified as a storage-chamber. It made sense, he thought… these people, until now, probably never had any need of something like a prison…

Dark and dusty… the air tickled his nose and he had to move carefully or he would bump himself against shelves or crates in the gloom. He sat down heavily on the closest box, working his back a bit, which still smarted from the pelting it had received in the tree.

…again he had conjured that dark anger before he'd had even time to think whether it was warranted… The stunned look on the young captain's face didn't want to leave his head… just like the other Rito's faces when he had nearly lost control back on the ground. What terrible, black wrath was festering within him that could so quickly, so uncontrollably break forth to taint his thoughts?

The dark, the silence and the fact that he had nothing to distract himself lead him to pondering. This wasn't like him… was it? He had just reacted to first the mortal danger inside temple within the Guardian, the fact that every centimetre of his body ached so much he wanted to weep, thanks to the silver Rito's attack… the fact that the reckless dropping of that cursed net had nearly killed both him and her, then the instant, murderous follow-up attack… His aggression was understandable, wasn't it? Wasn't it?!

The creak of the leather under his vice grip, the heavy weight of the sword on his arm, the tempestuous, violent rage in his heart as he saw the three warriors approach with drawn weapons… and the almost liberating feeling of the blade already leaving the scabbard, ready to do the darkest deed on his command… He covered his face with his hands in a futile attempt to block out the memory. But it wouldn't go away!

By the goddesses… he had nearly killed them all! If that tiny splinter of light hadn't pierced the blackness… He had killed before… Hylians… Agents of the Threat… But these Rito? These- these people, these fools who honestly wanted nothing more than to defend their homes and families? And he had come so close to denying them any future… He felt hot tears well up in his eyes and he was nearly unable to keep himself from sobbing in sudden, vicious desperation. If only his mind would stop replaying that moment… over and over…

But the worst thing had been Zelda's anguished imploration for him to stop… the quaver, the urgent pleading in her voice… He didn't have to ask what she had meant, when she had asked how he felt… he already knew…

Goddess above, he hoped he had just imagined the pain in her eyes! Or… He swallowed heavily… Or had it actually been fear? Of him?!

Heavens he was so tired… For the first time in weeks he couldn't go to her, couldn't talk to her… The one person who made all this madness so much more bearable had been denied to him.

Why now?!

Why, in this one moment when he felt so lost, when he feared all the angst, the pain and the constant fighting might be turning him into the very thing he set out to combat, wasn't she here?!

…but did he want her here right now? What if she, indeed, had become afraid of him? What if he, the next time they were alone, tried to find that glimmer of hope in her peerless eyes, but instead found dread?

He didn't believe it… He didn't want to believe it… But how could he know if she wasn't there?

All time seemed lost in this dark chamber… and for many minutes that seemed like hours he waited and quietly wept.

* * *

 **Too dark? I don't include these sort of chapters because of any desire for gratuitous angst or edginess… that is absolutely not what I'm after.**

 **Instead I really think that these sort of thoughts would, occasionally, break forth from someone in this kind of situation… especially someone as thoughtful and empathetic as the Link I'm trying to depict…**


	49. A Dark Fire Broken

Chapter 48

Zelda

The room they had brought her to wasn't all that bad… It appeared to be something like a watchman's office inside a tiny hut on the second highest branch, one above where she had been separated from Link. Her knees still felt wobbly from the hanging bridge she had been forced to cross, which was more akin to a steep stairway made of rope and rough planks swaying in the breeze… At least this chamber felt stable, even if 'messy' didn't come close to describing it. A tiny desk upon which were heaps of dog-eared papers, a shelf which had been crammed full of various clothes with, to her mind, a criminal disregard for order, a solitary wooden chair that housed not one, not two, but three undergarments strewn about it like barbaric ornaments… Needless to say, she did not find it a very inviting sitting accommodation. Truth be told, despite it being quiet and bright enough, she wouldn't have been able to rest anyway. Without her being conscious of it, she paced back and forth over the tiny space she had available, her fingers drumming restively on her hips as her mind buzzed.

The air was stifling… not the actual physical air around… she doubted that this high up, with this architecture that didn't know closed off rooms, it could ever get smothery. The thing that impeded her breath was the tension she sensed all around her. The very atmosphere was rife, saturated with anxiety and fear, seeping through every crack from every hut, from every beating heart… It had hit her like a wave in her chest when they arrived and now, that she had nought to do but wait, it was threatening to choke her.

These people had been hit at a place where they thought themselves immune, fancied themselves above all the tribulations of the earthbound folk. And now this sense of century-old security had been shattered irreparably like thin glass, an unvoiced promise broken with such callous suddenness that it felt like a punch in the stomach.

No wonder the warriors had been so eager to find a culprit! They were looked to in a time of unprecedented strife to fix a problem that was far beyond their understanding. They, the proud, independent Rito, had been wounded where it hurt the most… and they were helpless…

But that wasn't the worst… The worst was that, through this thick, drowning sludge of blind fear, she had lost her connection with Link. Not completely… she doubted she would ever lose sight of that faint thread that connected their hearts… but only just enough to know he was physically well. Only… she knew he would, by now, be locked in a vicious struggle with himself. Despite their time together being still short, she knew him well enough to understand that hidden under his usual lively, carefree self, lay a ruminative, self-critical person… Yet another side that intrigued her, but sadly this pensiveness occasionally plunged him into streams of thought that carried him too far, that twisted his image to his mind, made him see a false, distorted reflection of his true, beautiful self. From the moment the short, yet intense battle with the misguided Rito warriors had ended, she had sensed a dreadful conflict within him… a tear in his soul so painful that she had felt its icy tendrils… as if her chest was bound with heavy chains that wound themselves ever tighter.

At first, she thought, when they had finally broken through the Rito's stubborn aggression, that he simply had masterful control over himself… when he briefly seemed lost in thought, but then rallied almost immediately.

But when she had asked how he felt, in an attempt to show him that she understood and was there to help, and he barely reacted, she had understood that he had, to fulfil his current mission, had not allowed his inner turmoil to reach his conscious… His mind had caged it so he could focus! An admirable talent, but also risky…

She hoped his inner defences would hold a little while longer… that her suspicious were untrue and he wouldn't be suddenly overpowered by his pondering… that he would hang on until she was there to help weather everything when it, inevitably, broke through…

She paced, trying to find his soul again among the stifling shock and fear all around, so she could at least try to make him feel her presence… but she couldn't. It was like finding a needle in a haystack when the hay was on fire. Zelda cursed herself for still being so utterly worthless at using her powers, but she didn't dare open her mind further when all the surrounding panic threatened to pour in to swallow her whole… She would need a clear head for the things to come! She didn't know what sort of character the high chieftain of the Rito was… A grizzled warrior? A cunning tactician? A peaceful philosopher? Both she and Link would have to adapt to this leader's way of thinking, and fast… or more hostilities were sure to follow.

Chewing nervously on her lip, she imagined the worst… more misunderstandings, more mistrust… more violence.

She stopped dead. Subconsciously, she dug her nails into the palms of her hands… the memory of the short, yet ferocious lust for blood she had sensed in him, her Link… only for the briefest instant, but it had been enough to nearly make her gasp in shock, as if his whole body had suddenly burst into a booming, black flame. This hard, cold aggression… it had twisted her stomach… Was he…?

No! No, no and, again, no! Angry at herself for where her thoughts had taken her, she actually stamped her foot so hard the noise seemed deafening in the surrounding silence. Now _she_ had to beware of falling into a bottomless pit of eternal pondering! She refused to think such things, of him of all people! It would be unfair, downright depraved even, to arrive at any opinion with him not here to speak his mind. …even more reason to get all this loathsome explaining out of the way so they could reunite and curb all those superfluous trepidations.

A forceful knock on the door made her jump. She had been so deeply lost in her own world that she hadn't even heard anyone approach.

Unbidden, the young captain, their captor from earlier entered. Zelda's brow furrowed… While he still had the regal, bouncy gait of his people it now seemed… stiff. And his face, still bearing that overt mistrust, seemed mostly distraught at present… distraught and furious… though not at them…

"You are being summoned. Follow me… please." he bade in that disjointed way of a man who's life had stopped making sense at the moment.

"Lead the way." She replied, combing through her hair with her fingers in a vain attempt to make herself look a tiny bit less of a vagabond.

The way back to the main branch was even worse… All her muscles made their desire for a comfy bed known, resulting in erratic, jittery motions as her exhausted brain did its best to keep everyone working together. By the time she had finally made it past the dreadful rope-bridge-stairs she was sweating, both from exertion and fear of plummeting down… and the barely concealed sniggers from the two bird-brains behind her were of little comfort.

As they reached the main 'alley' of the town, she spotted Link, flanked by three warriors and she had to suppress the urge of darting forward to crash into his arms. He looked up at her and she stopped dead. As their eyes met, her mind was hit with a tidal wave of turmoil, barely hidden behind a strong façade… It was like gazing down into a roiling maelstrom through a thin sheet of ice… Goddess above, Link… she could imagine how much strength it took to appear outwardly calm when everything inside you threatened to burst you open like a squashed grape… she had had to endure that many times… Thus her heart bled even more as she saw just how strong he had to be. She hoped their parley with the high chieftain would be short so she could finally tend to those wounds that desperately needed healing.

He gave her a brave, flickering little smile and the desire to hug him, hold him, comfort him became nearly unbearable. She did quicken her steps, moving past the captain who, in his distracted state, didn't even try to stop her, and wrapped him briefly in her arms. Clearly confused, he took a while, then answered in kind. She had, naturally, considered the possibility of their captors using their affection against them, if they showed it too blatantly, but… she was convinced that, despite their far-reaching fear, they would not stoop to such evil methods…

She wanted to say something… anything… but what in Din's fiery hell was there to say? "Hang in there?" Preposterous. "Be strong!" He already was. "Are you alright?" was too stupid to even imagine…

"We'll talk later…" she managed looking up into his marvellous blue eyes with what she hoped was a sincerely encouraging expression.

His gaze twitched and she realized that, strangely and startlingly, he had meant to keep his inner upheaval a secret even from her. But after a second he nodded…

Deciding to leave this matter in the delicate equilibrium it currently was, she took a step away, but took his hand and looked expectantly at the captain.

"The high chieftain is expecting you." he murmured, turning abruptly and leading the way towards the Deku Tree's trunk.

After a minute of silent walking they reached what appeared a mansion or palace by Rito standards… a building comprised of at least five of the ubiquitous globes, some directly adjacent, others a little off, connected with a bridge or short stairs. The whole complex seemed to be adherent to the bark of the Guardian. A large banner hung to both sides of the simple entrance: a stylized white bird, its wings spread and clearly swooping at its prey, resplendent against a dark blue background, the edges trimmed with the many coloured feathers of the people it represented. If any building here had an official appeal, it was this one…

"The… _high chieftain_ … bade me to ask you inside and wait with you until he calls for you both." he squawked irritably. The way he emphasized 'high chieftain' made Zelda raise her eyebrow. It sounded very much like there had been a rather heated disagreement… which would also explain why the young cock seemed even more dishevelled than before Link and she had been separated.

They were led directly through the unguarded front door into the largest sphere of the mansion. Inside there was a finely crafted screen of wood and paper directly in front of them, barring the view further into the room. A few cushioned seats were fitted along the walls… A waiting area before the audience hall, no doubt…

With a curt hand movement, they were invited to sit down, just as a booming, muffled voice from the other room reached their ears. The words were unintelligible, but it was clear that someone was receiving quite a stern reproof. Instinctively, Zelda gazed at the young captain, who's face had gone taut with a mixture of anger and nervousness. If she had to bet, she would say that he had very recently been on the receiving end of such a tirade… She couldn't decide how that knowledge influenced their chances at a peaceful resolution of the whole debacle.

A door opened and was slammed shut right after. Heavy steps walked across the room behind the thin screen and with a low grumble, someone was seated to a loud creaking of wood. Another door opened, less forcefully, and considerably lighter steps were heard until they were halted by a hushed, gruff command. "To bed, Veneli."

Link and Zelda briefly glanced at each other, careful not to let their expressions betray anything.

"But I-" the young boy's voice began, but was cut short.

"No. This is not-"

"I won't say anything, I promise! I'll just listen, please!"

"I said no!" came the strict reply. "To bed, now!"

Both of them could clearly imagine their feathered friend's sulky shuffle as they heard him leave.

"Show them in!" a deep, sonorous voice rang through the spherical hall. An old voice, thoughtful… but also hard and heavy with the weight of worry.

She glanced at Link, who nodded tensely.

They were led around the room-divider and found themselves in, lacking a better word, throne room... a large wooden seat, sitting on a slightly raised dais, flanked by two grim looking Rito warriors with spears... the middle of the room was occupied by a large log fire that gave the whole room a serious, stately glow… Throne room did fit, in Rito terms, but it lacked the opulence that Zelda had come to associate with that… Instead, the hall was decorated with simple, but artisanally high-quality furniture that left a lot of free space, which the bird-people valued greatly.

Sitting on the elevated chair was a surprisingly huge Rito, its dark grey feathers grown large and bushy, giving it a rather owl-like appearance. His strict, yellow, inquisitory eyes substantiated that effect… His posture was regal, but Zelda also sensed deep tiredness… and the worries of a once great man, reduced by age…

They were both ushered to stand directly in front of the large, wintry warrior, the lazily flickering fire at their backs spending welcome warmth, but also begetting a most dramatic atmosphere of judgement… A deliberate scheme, no doubt… but gazing into those hard, dark-yellow eyes that, via the reflection of the fireplace seemed to burn from within, Zelda found it to be working eerily well…

Once they had found their place under the oppressive stare of the leader of the Rito, the young captain suddenly spoke up. "High chieftain, these men have just been injured in battle, there is no need for them to also be-"

"I will not be told how to lead my people by someone incapable of making rational decisions." the large bird growled menacingly, his voice a tremulous bass befitting a rooster his size. "Their injuries are caused by your rash actions. You would do well, in future, to remember that while my son commands the warriors, it is still _my_ word that orders them to battle. Tamali might speak with my authority… _You_ do not. Dismissed."

They glared at each other for a good five seconds, the younger with fiery indignation, the older with cool authority. In the end, the captain saluted stiffly, then stormed off with all the dignity he could muster.

When Zelda glanced back at the enthroned bird, she found him study them with a curiously raised eyebrow.

"You must pardon my surprise… but judging by the tale my warriors have spun, I expected… well, something other than two so young…" He began, though without a trace of merriment. "I am Komali, High Chieftain of the Rito. Before you do me the courtesy of introducing yourself, it is my duty to apologize on behalf of my tribe." His words astounded her and, judging by Link's raised brow, he felt similarly. "The orders that led to the unfortunate incident at the temple's entrance were not mine. The young man who brought you acted without my knowledge and has been reprimanded. I assure you, we Rito are not in the habit of waylaying people, even if they entered our sanctuary uninvited and unwelcome." The lord of these lands spoke with civility, but there was an unmistakable cold hardness in his voice… a timbre that promised swift retribution, should the brittle tolerance be violated. Also, he had made it quite clear how he thought about their arrival, even if he believed them to be innocent of everything past trespassing, which was still unclear. Zelda had trouble reading the old rooster, whose face was as passive as a mask… but, he had chosen to employ a language she was exceptionally well versed in: politics!

"On behalf of my companion, knight-aspirant Link Andrésson, I, Zelda of high House Hyrule, accept your apology." The two guards flanking the big bird briefly forgot their stoic stalwartness and gazed at each other confusedly. Link, too, glanced at her, worried, but accepting her judgement. Their common enemy had already made its presence here known… excessive secrecy, especially when they wanted to garner trust, would only be a hindrance.

To her surprise, the high chief did not seem overly taken aback. He merely scratched his chin, almost distractedly. "Just 'Zelda', your highness? Not 'Princess Zelda'?" he asked with what, she hoped, was the faintest hint of humour.

"I am, you could say, on rather unofficial business." She joked, but kept her countenance earnest. "High Chieftain, we both regret our untoward entry into your domain. However, we-" She was cut short by a raised wing, bidding her to halt her speech.

"Young lady, if you truly are the Princess of Hyrule, you will understand that, on my domain, as you called it, it will be me who sets the tone for our interview." The calm, hard tone tolerated no objection. "First, I wish to know how the two of you entered this secluded valley. This land, my people, our peaceful way of life, all are under attack by forces I am, as of yet, unsure of." By the way he said it, it was exceedingly clear that he did very much entertain the possibility of the two Hylians being part of said forces. "So… any pathways into these once tranquil lands I need to be aware of."

Zelda had expected this question… but nevertheless had no satisfying answer. She could speak the truth, but that would betray Veneli and the trust he had shown them. Lying, on the other hand, was not something that seemed beneficial whatsoever.

"As you are hesitating, allow me to ask with more precision. In the centuries of us Rito roosting on the branches of Ancient Guardian, you two are not the first to stumble your way into this valley. Can you surmise why I know that you did not cross the mountains?"

Link, who had, almost inattentively looked out the window behind the large bird answered without hesitation "Because we do not look like we knocked on death's door."

The High Chieftain gazed into her companions eyes, seemingly surprised. "Indeed. Wanderers, explorers… only three ever managed the long, cold, arduous journey over the mountains… the last one, actually, when I was still a hatchling… a Hylian scholar, found by our scouts with severe hypothermia and nearly starved to death…" he reminisced, before refocusing on them with his rigid stare.

"There is no easy pass… and even in the warmest summer they are near certain death. So, not over the mountains then…"

"What did you do with the scholar, if I may ask?" Link questioned, his gaze no less hard than his opposite's.

"Brought him back to health as best we could, naturally!" the old rooster explained as if the very question was an affront. "We pulled him back from the brink… but we could not allow him to leave the valley. Our secret is too precious, too vital to our culture… so we built him a nest and welcomed him as an equal… he was a good friend to many of us…" He sighed heavily, sadness passing through his usually impassive face… but only briefly, before his cool glare returned. "Sadly, times seem to have changed…"

She watched her protector slowly nod and relax a tiny bit, apparently satisfied with the answer. Then, his gaze travelled off again out the window… but… it was not just a thousand yard stare, he was focusing on something…

"Now, the Rift is rather out of the question. If you had tried crossing, you would not be standing here as only my son and I have the power to allow safe passage. However… my scouts tell me of something troubling… Holes in the ground, surrounded by camps of Moblins and other filth… Vile tunnels, made by these creatures, scraping, gnawing, hacking… this-"

"We did not come through any such tunnel!" Link's head snapped back to fixate the big owl. "And we have no affiliations with any of these repellent beasts!" His voice was vibrating with intense, righteous fervour and genuine offence. Zelda held her breath, hoping to all Three that his justified, but forceful rebuke would not be seen as a challenge…

"I find I believe you…" the old leader said thoughtfully. "But it doesn't answer my query…"

"We cannot tell you." She finally admitted. "I am sorry, but telling the truth would mean betraying the promise of a dear friend. And I refuse to resort to mendacity. I can, however, assure you that no one but we could have used the way we took."

"This, of course, does not help your case very much…" the tired seeming man stated after a good ten seconds of careful thought.

"I understand. But I'm afraid this has to be our answer for now."

"Before you proceed to be obnoxiously secretive…" he rumbled with a decidedly angry tone. "…allow me to detail the position you are in, as you don't quite seem to understand it." He bent forward menacingly. "Sightings of dark spectres skulking about at night, first in the woods surrounding the Guardian, then in our very midst in the village. The emergence of these sightings is accompanied by sudden, unprecedented raids of Bokoblin and even Lizalfos into our domain, putting even more unease into the hearts of my people. Then, only a few days ago, the key that opens the way into the temple inside the Guardian is stolen, leading to a foul desecration of our most fiercely protected home, as well as one of our own getting gravely injured by the thief. Only two days after, my…" The old man's gaze wavered for a moment, as did his voice. "…my son, somehow, managed to enter the temple to reclaim our artefact, and wasn't seen again." He paused, taking a deep breath to collect himself. "And today, you appear… from inside the Ancient Guardian… having apparently opened it, as I said, mere days after the key, the _only_ key, has been taken from us." Now there was nothing but cold hate in his tone, not yet directed at them, but not far off either. "So, you will forgive me if I advise you to think _extremely_ carefully on your next answers."

Zelda felt her stomach turn at the pure menace glaring from his eyes. Still, she managed to keep her poise strong and her voice firm. "We did not anything of yours. We were neither remotely close when you say the theft happened, nor could we have ascended the tree without flying."

"An expected reply… There are creatures other than Rito in this world that have the gift of flight… some, if trained, would allow enemies to enter our lands AND ascend the Guardian's bark…" the heavy bird mused.

"Without any of you noticing? You mentioned yourself, this shadow was seen more than once… None of your people have seen a strange flying object, or heard its wings?" Link interjected, ever quick of wit.

"Unlikely, true… but not impossible. In any case, you will probably agree that, seeing as you must have opened the portal to the temple, logic is rather on my side…"

"We have no need of a key to enter the Guardian." Zelda explained, her toes clenched within her shoes out of sheer tension, wondering how the old poultry might react to such a bold claim. "We are able to enter without it."

A deep, humourless chuckle was her answer. "Of all preposterous assertions you might have tried, you chose the poorest, child." A mirthless, but incredibly sad little smirk played around his beak, as if he sensed that his interrogation would soon come to an end he had feared.

"It is easily proven. Take us back down there and we will demonstrate." she retorted, feeling anger redden her cheeks at not being believed.

Something in her voice made his grin flicker, but only for a moment. "Our legends speak of those chosen by fate, their heart pure and heavy with purpose… they would find an ally in the Ancient Guardian and would be welcome amidst his children." His smile turned even nastier. "Are you going to tell me-"

Zelda didn't even let him finish and drew herself up to her full height. "Your legend speaks of us! We are not scholars searching for uncharted territory, nor are we lost. Do you truly believe I would leave the people of Hyrule to go wandering aimlessly in these most dangerous of times? And fate has forced both Link and I to leave home and kin. And purpose has brought us here!" She spoke heatedly, letting both anger and homesickness fuel her oration.

Her protector chimed in "I assume your myth speaks of a great evil? A looming apocalypse? Two, chosen by destiny, to combat it? A mighty weapon that needs to be reclaimed, perhaps? And to do so, one needs to enter the sanctuary within the tree and that involves, dare I say, dragons?" He presented the faintest of smug grins as the chieftain's faded into an expression of bafflement. "Of all the preposterous assertions we might try, I think this one is the most implausible… Sadly, it is also true."

The old leader glanced back and forth between them, eyes suddenly wide in disbelief. "It is a legend of my people, written down eons ago… Why would… I can't believe that two Hylians would…" he squawked, dumbfounded

"Does the text ever specifically mention them being Rito? Or does it, perhaps, just say 'hero' or 'Light' or 'Protector'?" she ventured, hoping they might yet convince this stubborn cock of the near impossible.

He reclined heavily into his throne, making it creak with stress. "I never even considered… Your uncanny knowledge might, however, be nothing more than another indication of your guilt. You might be the very evil we are trying to fight!"

Zelda's heart sank. She could see in his eyes that he did not, truly, believe this nonsense, but also sensed the rigidity of an aged mind, mixed with the stupefying fear all his people had succumbed to. Moving his focus away from them, when he had already fixed it there, would take days, if not weeks!

"Besides, I simply cannot deem it possible that a legend from this our land would speak of any other than one of our-"

"Stop calling this your land, Rito!" Link suddenly barked. Zelda turned towards him, mouth slightly ajar, terrified of what might follow this outburst. "It is not yours. Do not presume that, when the great Deku Tree formed this valley, he did it with you in mind. This was a sanctuary of His children… and for _everyone_ seeking refuge. You are not the children your legend speaks of. You are just as much a guest here as we are!"

She gazed at him from the side, surprised at not only his words but also the deep conviction with which he uttered them. What, at first, she had thought was a poorly thought through rebuke, seemed to be a profoundly emotional matter to him… his beautiful eyes stern, but with a shimmer of wetness…

"How can you… we have roosted here for centuries!" the old bird blustered, clearly taken aback by the righteousness in the young man's tone.

"And you were welcome to. But do you recall what you saw within His trunk? A home for the children of the forest and not only them. This place has been an asylum to all who seek it for millennia before. You have no right to deny anyone access. And certainly not me!"

For a fleeting second, Zelda thought his appearance changed… his hair lighter, his features a little harder, older, his height a bit taller, maybe… had she just imagined it?

"The Deku Tree…" Komali mumbled, scratching the side of his beak, eyeing her beloved strangely. "I have only found our Guardian called this in the legend. A name so old… And the deep conviction in both your voices… I find myself… believing you, despite my better judgement. Your claims are ludicrous, but… I can sense no lie within you… this makes me uncertain… but I cannot be sure that my instincts don't betray me as well… I am sorry." For the first time since the beginning of their discussion, the old leader seemed truly regretful.

"High Chieftain, this is absurd!" Zelda exclaimed, shaking her head. "You don't believe us to be responsible for all the darkness that has befallen your tribe… I can see it in your soul, the fear of a great evil that you instinctively feel approaching. Do you sense such malice in us? Are we the presence that has plagued your mind as of late?!"

"I…" he began, then stopped, his eyes, wide with concern, twitching back and forth between them. His formerly stern brow was now furrowed, a silent cry for help that he dared not utter, scared that it might not be answered.

"Allow us to help, High Chieftain Komali!" she continued insistently, but gently, taking a measured step forward. "We cannot be enemies, not when all of Hyrule has to resist this Threat that is spreading over her like a dark storm cloud! And all of us, both we and you, are running short on time! An agent of the threat has indeed made her way into the temple! I can't say what she is trying to do within, but every second we tarry-"

"Have you seen my son?" the old warrior suddenly asked, his posture hunched and bent with sorrow, his eyes tired and terrified. The strong, calm leader had gone… now he was just a father, worried sick about his child. "Please, tell me only if he… if I have to make preparations…" His pleading voice, daring not to hope, was enough to immediately forget the unjust suspicion he had met them with. The compassion she felt when gazing at his shivering hands and trembling beak steeled her resolve, but also made her realize just how many terrible aspects their fight against the Threat would have… and how ruthless and callous it operated to destroy kindness and shatter trust.

"A tall rooster with silvery white plumage?" Link asked, his face grim.

"You saw him?"

Her companion nodded darkly and she interjected "We did. He was hale of body, but…"

"I fear that witch, the one responsible for the theft and all unrest, has him under her spell…" he continued, his voice once again bearing the strange lack of emotion that seemed so alien from him.

"He yet lives?!" Komali asked, his excitement at this news nearly palpable. Zelda doubted, though, that he had fully grasped what Link had just said. "He does, but he was not himself. He attacked us at the enemy's behest…"

"He… what?" Confusion mixed into the already wild sea of emotions within the aged man.

"I saw your son up close, High Chieftain." her protector explained urgently. "His gaze was far away, his features slack and soulless… I am certain that the woman with the red, glowing eyes has him under some sort of enchantment. He used the magic of your people to buffet us away, unleashing terrible storms… but I doubt he understood what he was doing."

"Tamali… he is exceptionally powerful… the mightiest aeromancer I have seen in my lifetime… that he would be turned… I cannot bear to think…" Komali muttered, distraught.

"I have seen the enemy operate, High Chieftain." Link insisted. "They have powers that turn them near invisible… They use guile and deceit as weapons, rather than brute force… It is more likely that your son was surprised, rather than overpowered… and it is unlikely that he ever had to compete against powers such as these. And besides…" he hesitated, the muscles of his jaw working as he thought. "…The agents I have fought so far were never alone, always in groups of at least 5 of more. This one, the woman with the red eyes, she was by herself. I fear she might be a danger far greater than we can imagine…"

"My dreams of late have been haunted by cruel, red, eyes aglow…" the large bird mused haggardly.

"Allow us to help!" Zelda repeated, thinking they might have finally convinced their opposite of their truthfulness. "Allow us to open the gate into the tree! Both Link and I will do everything within our power to not only rid it of this evil's presence, but also return your son to you. We must do this! Please!"

He looked back and forth between them, his gaze helpless, his tortured face betraying how severely his thoughts fought with each other. In the end, he buried his head in his hands. "I wish nothing more than to hold my child in my arms again…" he said with a tearful voice. "I want to believe you… I want to believe you can bring back peace to both my people and me."

Zelda's heart sank when she understood what he was about to say next.

"But I cannot risk being rash… Even though it tears at my soul, I have to think of the safety of all my people before that of my son. If you are the enemy, I dare not even consider what you might do, if let back inside the Guardian. I no longer believe you to be my foe, but how can I be sure?"

Zelda was crestfallen… but, oddly, she found she understood the old rooster. His eyes were filled with the terror of a man who sees both his physical and mental faculties waned with age, a man horrified that he can no longer see the whole picture and that his shortcomings might lead his wards to doom.

"I have to think on it… I know time is against me, but…"

"It would be a risk to trust us, naturally…" Link stated passively. "But, if by your inaction, your son would come to harm, would you ever be able to forgive yourself?"

The High Chieftain slowly sat back up straight. "Never. But if my ill-considered decision leads the Rito down the road of ruin, I could bear it even less." Zelda saw that, his gaze was once again firm… they would not be able to influence his ruling any more. He was too afraid to make a judgement now… "I shall deliberate on it. I will tell you, once I have made my choice."

His two guards, who looked decidedly hesitant and unhappy with their commander's course of inaction and who had occasionally thrown markedly hopeful glances at her protector and her, already moved to escort them outside.

Zelda spoke up one last time when she saw the utterly destroyed look that briefly passed on Link's face. "High Chieftain, I would request that we be no longer separated. I don't object to putting us behind lock and key until you are certain, but…"

Komali thought on it for thirty seconds at least. "Very well…" he finally pronounced. "Your request is granted. Show them to our guest nest. They are to be guarded, still."

As they were ushered out of the villa, Zelda felt queasy and deeply perturbed. The chieftain's reluctance to act or even believe in them troubled her more than she could convey into words. What else could they have said or done?! She had hoped that, during their travels, they would find allies, people to aid them in the fight for life itself… so that, maybe, they would not have to face this overpowering Threat all alone.

Had she really just been naïve? Would it, truly, always be that difficult to convince others of their cause? Would they always be on their own?

* * *

The climb over the rickety, wind-swept gangways and bridges was even more terrifying in near complete darkness. The flickering light of the torches their two guides, or rather guards, was confusing at best, throwing shadows every which way whenever she tried to find stable footing. Infuriatingly, both the Rito and Link seemed to have no trouble whatsoever to place their steps stoutly, so she constantly felt as if she were slowing their tiny procession down…

They were led all the way up to the highest of the enormous branches to a hut at the very outward edge of the peculiar village, a little way off of the others. It was almost funny how the relative stability of the wooden planks over a hundred metres above the ground suddenly felt comforting and reassuring after the hair-raising tumble over a free-hanging rope bridge swinging in the nightly breeze…

The windows of the hut were dark… there was always something strangely forbidding about a house dipped in complete darkness… She glanced sideways at Link, who still had that earnest, yet far-off look on his face. He gazed at the spherical building, briefly, disinterestedly, not a speck of emotion showing on his face. She couldn't help but feel a tad slighted… she had gone out of her way to ensure them a decent place to sleep and, more importantly, had won them the right to stay together, instead of separated, each in their own broom-cupboard! And now there was nothing from him, not even a speck of… she didn't even expect gratitude, but at least a hint of appreciation…

When they reached the front door, their Rito guide produced a large iron key and opened the door. "As per our orders…" he began in a slightly creaking voice, betraying his disapproval, "…the guest house will be your nightly quarter. Once you are in, the doors will be locked once again. The grand chieftain instructed me to say that this is not meant as an insult, but a necessary precaution to ensure the safety of my people. Please!" he invited them with a curt gesture.

Now that Zelda thought about it, she didn't think she had seen any other door with anything resembling a lock… So, the guest house was both that and a prison cell. She wondered how many times they had used it as either…

"Thank you. We understand." She answered just as coolly and entered without looking back. She heard Link follow, his usually light and silent steps seeming plump and loud.

The inside was almost pitch black, but she was pretty sure that it was just one, round room. Careful as to not bump against any furniture she sidled forward but, naturally she did end up smacking her knee into something.

"Wait…" he muttered, and swiftly walked past her just as the surprisingly heavy sounding door was closed behind them. The loud clack of the lock had an unnerving finality to it…

He briefly fumbled around with something she couldn't quite see, then a sole candle suddenly sprang to life. Gazing around in the flickering, insufficient light, the room appeared harsh, rough and forbidding, odd, unrecognizable shapes jutting from the walls and hanging off the domed ceiling… She felt cold… especially when she saw the unlit fireplace in the centre. It seemed their hosts had gone to great lengths not to make their guests feel too welcome…

"Should we try to light the fire?" she asked him, unsure whether she wanted to bother.

He thought about it for two seconds, then shook his head. "I'm tired…" he mumbled. In the faint, orange light his face did indeed look terribly fatigued… but it was the utterly defeated tone of his voice that made her soul feel heavy and helpless.

"Link, what is it? What is bothering you so?" she asked directly, avoiding all unnecessary tip-toeing around the issue.

"It's fine… I'm just tired." he repeated and made an attempt at his usual smile, which was, frankly, pathetic.

She gave him an ever so slightly disbelieving look. "Link, I won't stop worrying if you don't tell me!" she tried to pry further.

"I told you, I'll be alright. Right now, I really just want to sleep…" Slight annoyance mixed into the tone of his voice… which, in turn, annoyed her. Still, she took a deep breath and kept her voice calm.

"Sweety… please!" She took another step forward, but then almost physically felt the barriers he had erected around himself. What tortured him so much that he thought he had to imprison himself like this? "You know I can sense how something is plaguing you! Is it about the altercation we had back…-"

"Of course it bloody is!" he exclaimed, throwing his arms in the air and starting to pace. "What else would it be?! If you hadn't noticed, it didn't exactly go all too well!"

It had been an educated guess… but the forcefulness of his reaction surprised her. "You are being petulant." she simply stated with a cautioning undertone, arms akimbo. She saw his jaw clench, his eyes close and him taking a deep breath.

"I know… and I don't want to be. Can't you just let it rest?" he asked with the pleading voice of a man who feels himself about to lose control.

"Would it help?" she asked straightforward.

He tensed even more, giving an exasperated sigh. "Why are you even… Maybe I don't want to share _everything_ with you, maybe I want to deal with some things on my own!"

Of course she knew he had a right to his own private thoughts and matters… and she ordinarily would never try to invade the more secret parts of his soul without being explicitly asked in… But, damn it all, right now she thought she was doing the right thing by being a nosy busybody! At least she hoped she did…

"I don't deny that you can, or have the right to. But why would you punish yourself like this?"

"I'm not… you know what? Fine! Let's summarize, shall we?" he started to yell as he resumed his stomping pacing. "After nearly getting caught by those blithering birds, we have to sprint for Din knows how long through a freaking terrifying forest, only to be laughed at by some senseless imp. Then, after we finally reach the bloody tree, after weeks on the road, not only do we find that the fucking enemy is already there, no! We are also pushed back by another Rito who nearly rips me apart with his wind-magic and hurls half the furniture at my back. Then, after we had to flee, we run into the open, beweaponed wings of yet more of those bleeding pigeons, who not only very nearly murder us with that shitty net of theirs, but also very nearly murder us with their knives! So forgive me, if I might have been a tad overeager with my defence of both our lives!" He counted it off by dramatically extending one finger after the next as he shouted ever louder.

Zelda knew she had finally reached the crux of the matter… She had not made any such accusation… This was what he was blaming himself for! And his self-flagellating fury didn't scare her… on the contrary, she by far preferred it to the black apathy of 5 minutes ago. "I'm not the one who has to forgive you. What is it that torments you so?" she asked emphatically, also raising her voice without really meaning to.

"Those _fucking_ morons!" he spat, clenching his fists. "What were they thinking?! They should be bloody imprisoned here, not we! Assaulting us with murderous intent like that! Fucking disgraceful!"

He was trying to avoid going further into the issue, but she knew she couldn't let him stop now… and she sensed that he knew, how he begged her to help him with the next step that was too painful to do on his own. His last two words, however, reverberated strongly in her soul, filled with so much rage and disappointment… though not at the feathered warriors… "Do you feel guilty that you had to…"

"No, I… Yes, of bloody course I do, but not really… I… it's not that…" he muttered, rubbing his eyes, exhausted.

"I sensed your anger…" she softly said, remembering the brief moment of cold hate that had stung her like the prick of a needle.

"Of course I was fucking angry, damn it!" he yelled again, his rage rekindled in an instant. "So? They deserved it, those arseholes!"

"I've never felt you be this angry…" she still spoke gently, luring him out of his stubborn shell, letting him vent his frustration.

"So?! What?! It worked, didn't it?! I scared them enough so they would listen! Did you see it? They were freaking trembling their feathers off, the… the…" his face contorted, first into a pained grimace of a false grin, then it quickly dissolved into what it really was… a pitiful mask of dreadful remorse and despair.

Zelda swallowed heavily… She wanted nothing more than to rush to him to comfort him in her arms, but something held her back. A tiny, fleeting glimpse of his mind finally made its way through his defences, at last passing through the thick walls he had made his gaol. A miniscule memory of that moment that caused him so much doubt and anguish…

"You nearly went too far!" she muttered more to herself, then nearly slapped herself for her carelessness.

"I had it under control!" he roared, now directly at her instead of at the world in general. "Do you think these fuckers would have stopped if I hadn't frightened some sense back into them? They would be dancing on our corpses now, had I not… And you presume to judge me for it?!"

She knew she shouldn't be cross… right now he was like a hounded animal, biting in all directions in fear of where the next pain might come from. Still, she felt her temper flare at his words. "I am not judging you! Do _not_ insult me with your misguided accusations!"

"I had it under control!" he yelled, but she could see in his eyes how much he doubted his words.

"No you hadn't! Or you wouldn't mope about like this, would you?!" she shot back and could immediately see that she had hit the mark perfectly now. Her furious words nearly made him recoil. He turned slightly away, averted his gaze and clenched his fists.

"What do you want me to say?!" he exclaimed, more of a whine than a shout. The utter defeat that weighed his voice down gripped her heart so firmly it hurt. It both made her want to cradle him in her arms and slap him on the cheek for being so stubborn and self-loathing.

"I want you to stop hiding behind your anger and to say what is truly behind your distress!" she spoke quietly, but with iron behind it.

"I am not…" he started growling, but she was having none of it.

"So I can finally help you, you obstinate oaf!" she interrupted screaming as desperation started gnawing at her too.

"I'm ashamed!" he bellowed so loudly that his voice cracked and his muscles spasmed in rage. He glared, his eyes finally open and honest again, and so vulnerable that she felt her tears well up in an instant. He glared, as if challenging her to laugh or ridicule him, as if fully expecting more pain… but only for an instant…

His shoulders sagged, his gaze faltered and the self-consuming rage in his features, finally spent, turned to the heartrending weeping of a despairing boy. He covered his face with his hand and sunk heavily to the ground, all arduously pretended strength exhausted, leaving nothing but burnt out forlornness.

At last, the walls around which he had hidden had crumbled. Overcoming the brief startled paralysis, Zelda darted to him, slid down beside him and wrapped him in her arms, ignoring the weak, stubborn tries to push her off until they failed too.

"I'm so ashamed…" he repeated as wave upon wave of violent sobs began washing over him, finally unearthing the wretched tumour of self-hate from the beloved depths of his soul. She held him all the more tightly, pulling him towards her so she supported his weight as they both cried wordlessly. Gently she caressed his troubled head, combing through his hair and stroking his cheek. For all the pent up despair that now bubbled out of him, she was amazed he had held on to the façade for this long… She was not quite sure yet, what had scared him so thoroughly, but she knew she had to find out, if only to show him that it couldn't possibly be as terrible as he, lost in a labyrinth of shame and fear, was imagining.

It seemed like hours before his breath calmed, his tears dried and the uncontrolled spasms in his muscles ebbed. Her heart beat furiously, simply in echo of the turmoil in his psyche, her knees stung from the hard floor and her muscles ached from how strongly, unbreakably she held him… but no earthly or divine force could have convinced her to release her grip even the tiniest bit. Not when her arms were all that held him together right now…

"I'm sorry… I'm so sorry…" he gasped, his voice still strained from trying to control himself.

"Shhhhh…" she shushed him as she softly rocked him. In the gloom of the single candle the trail of tears on his beautiful face seemed dark… almost as if he had washed out all the unnecessary filth that had burdened him so. Slowly, after a few gentle kisses on his hair, she loosened her grasp, though just enough so he could sit straight again. She watched him, his handsome profile illuminated just enough so she could see that his features had smoothened a bit.

"I'm so ashamed…" he uttered for the third time, slowly shaking his head and closing his eyes. He reopened them and wistfully looked at her… those wonderful deep-blue orbs that gave her no end of comfort… now desolate and insecure and… imploring.

"In front of me?" she asked nervously, dreadfully tense out of fear of saying something that might push him away again… or worse, add to the hurt.

"Of course in front of you… who else matters here?" he blurted out, looking away again.

"You do!" she declared without a moment's hesitation.

He snorted… then shrugged after a second or two. "I guess I'm ashamed in front of myself as well…"

With a bleeding heart she squeezed his shoulder emphatically, but refrained from smothering him with hugs again, which she really wanted to do. Something told her he needed a tiny bit of space to collect his thoughts and she didn't wish for him to feel pestered by her closeness.

"Would you… would you tell me what it is? That you think you have to be ashamed of?" she probed, close to a whisper, praying he would now grant her access to his innermost and wouldn't recoil.

"I nearly lost control." He simply stated after a moment's pause. A sigh, deep and regretful… a glance into her eyes, all too brief, still clouded in embarrassment. She was silent, letting him find the right words…

"That moment… when I saw those three plunging at us right after that net nearly..." he swallowed and took a deep breath. She could feel how difficult, how torturous it was for her sweet knight to relive that moment… and even more so to confess it to her…

"That moment, I wanted to kill them… all of them. I was ready to draw my sword to- to-… It was only for an instant, I promise! I swear it to you, Zelda, I… I don't know what…" he broke off, his voice choking up and his features twisting up in despair once again.

"Sshhhhh… it's alright. Take your time, I'm here. I'm listening. You don't have to justify yourself before me!" she insisted gently, running her hand soothingly through his dark-blonde hair.

He shook his head, though not to shake her off. "I do!" he hissed between gritted teeth. "I do…" he repeated after he had calmed again. "I don't know what came over me. It wasn't just anger… It was like I was engulfed in a dark fire that consumed every shred of sense and turned it into raging bloodlust. I didn't toy with the thought of killing them… I was but an instant away from actually… goddess… I nearly became a murderer!" Shock and horror turned his eyes wide, starting yet another round of this vicious cycle of doubt, shame and misery… unless she broke it!

Quickly Zelda's hands cupped his cheeks and, rather more forceful than strictly necessary, turned him to face her. Her stare was intense, filled with both limitless compassion and strict command. "But you didn't! Do you hear me, Link?! You did not become anything like that! How many people, from alley-robbers to knights, have _actually_ become killers in a sudden fit of rage? You didn't! Despite you having much more reason than most to snap. You! Didn't!"

"But I…" he began, trying to turn his head away, but she was having none of it.

"You will listen to me, Link Andrésson and you will look me in the eye!" she clamoured, now oddly angry at him for being so unfair to himself. "You what?! You should be better than this? You should be magically immune to rash, unthinking, emotional reactions?! At the ripe old age of fifteen?!" she screamed right at him, her face only centimetres away from him and, apparently, frightening enough that he had to wince. "Why?! Because you're some sort of chosen by the goddesses you don't have the right to be a normal Hylian? You're supposed to be something better? Well, guess what? I think you are, you dumb buffoon! Even through all the adversities, all the mind-numbing terror, all the times you had to aid me, the incompetent clod, you still managed to stay your blade, overrule your baser instincts in a millisecond! What, in Din's fiery hell, do you want from yourself?!"

"But I…" he weakly tried, but she just gave him a rough shake by his cheeks, which made him yelp in pain.

"You think I'm some sort of bloody saint?! Do you have any idea how dark my thoughts and temptations got in the years and years of being alone, penned up in that cursed castle, with my father showing me nothing but disinterest?" she yelled, hot tears once again welling up in her eyes. She hadn't meant to spill her guts like this, especially not in such an uncontrolled manner… but it had happened instinctively, had felt right to share a piece of her inner demons when she had basically forced him to do the same. And judging by the flabbergasted stare she received, it worked to wrest him back to reality.

"I am no angel." She stated coolly. "But you know what? We, even when pushed to the extreme, did _not_ succumb to these dark temptations. Both of us didn't…" she repeated, her voice heavy with emotion as she gazed into those heart-stopping eyes, both frail and so, so strong. "Maybe that will be enough… maybe that is really why it is the two of us that have to go on this quest… because we could falter at any turn, but we don't. And we give each other a leg up if we ever do."

"You saved me…" he mumbled after a good 30 seconds, his eyes downcast. "I didn't resist anything. It was your ray of light that pierced the dark fire in me…"

Link's words surprised her… the moment when she had felt his lust for blood was so short and had startled her so much… "I… don't think you're right…" she slowly began. "I was alarmed when I felt your aggression, I admit… but not nearly long enough for me to try to influence you in any way. I think it was still solely you who fought and won against that sinister impulse… And even if it was subconsciously me…" she interrupted yet another protest from him, "…how many times do you think you have been my ray of light in these past weeks, hm?"

His cheeks flushed barely noticeably and an ever so tiny flicker of a smile twitched around his lips. She couldn't resist any longer at seeing him at his most adorable and kissed him long and gently on the lips.

"You are the- -kindest- -sweetest- -loveliest man I know, Link Andrésson!" she muttered between soft but intense kisses and she felt her own face grow hot.

"What if it overtakes me again… that malevolent flame… I fear there will be more battles, more misunderstandings, more fear as the agents of the Threat creep over your land…" he asked, a little of that vigour restored in his tone.

"Well, as I see it, you've learned two things. First, you know you are not exempt from evil thoughts, or that dark fire, as you called it. Therefore, you can learn to counteract it! And secondly, you know that, even when raw instinct brought forth these saturnine cogitations, it was also your instinct that banished them back to their place. Keep that in mind and you'll turn out the radiant, infallible, dreadfully boring white knight you seemingly wish to be." She jibed, grinned impishly and leaned in for another kiss.

He giggled, only weakly, hesitantly still, but it was nonetheless the most beautiful, most relieving sound she had heard in a long time. His strong, elegant hands, until now apathetically resting in his lap, finally moved to hug her to him, both holding on to her and pulling her closer.

"Please…" he whispered as he rested his forehead against hers. "Please don't ever stop saving me."

"I don't mean to." she replied, her arms wrapping around his neck to hold him tightly and her heart at last beating freely again.

* * *

Many minutes they spent, hearing only each other's breath, locked in a firm embrace… though, for once, mostly he in hers.

"I'm sorry for screaming at you…" he mumbled, gazing at her with a truly cute expression of child-like remorse.

"Oh please. That was nothing! You should have seen some of the battles Saria and I fought!" she explained, then had to giggle. "One time, we made such a racket that a whole group of guards stormed my quarters, thinking I was under attack. Can you imagine their faces upon seeing two young girls, grappling like furious she-bears amidst the debris of the furniture? I had a split lip while she had a bleeding nose." Link looked so utterly appalled by what he was hearing that she nearly had a laughing fit. "They actually dragged her off and, not entirely sure how they should classify this 'incident', put her into one of the holding cells next to the guard room. If I recall correctly, it took her only about one hour before the gaoler gave up and let her out, simply to be freed of her incessant nagging."

Link's laugh rang clear and loud in the surrounding silence… the joyous laugh of a boy liberated from his own angst, so much relief waving freely in it… the laugh of a drowning man who had, when he no longer thought it possible, reached the saving shore. Zelda couldn't put into words how much she loved hearing it.

Another few minutes passed. His head felt increasingly heavy against her shoulder and she recognized by his breathing that he was slowly drifting to sleep. "I need to apologize to them…" he mumbled out of nowhere, apparently still unable to allow himself the rest he so desperately needed. "All of them… the warriors, their captain, the prick…"

"Later… you can do that later, sweety. Forget it until tomorrow." She said with a soft, lulling voice.

"I frightened them… Helped us, I think… but I feel bad…" he muttered, clearly fighting to stay awake, to keep talking… still so many thoughts buzzing restlessly through his mind, trying to be worded… trying to justify or excuse himself in front of her, when she had already understood everything, even the things unsaid.

"You _were_ scary…" she whispered. "I don't like it if you're scary… even if I understand that, sometimes, you'll have to be."

"I frightened myself…" he burbled, barely audibly.

"Shh… try and sleep now, Link. We can always talk more when the day breaks, hm?" she cooed, gently stroking his hair.

He murmured his consent, but still he tried more than once to say something and she sensed the turbulence in his soul that would rob him of a recreative slumber.

A sudden memory, long buried but very sweet, entered her conscious… and she spontaneously, without thinking about it all, began to hum.

So many recollections flooded her mind as she heard herself intone the tune she hadn't heard for so many years… most of them blurred, some might even be nothing but figments of her imagination… but all of them extremely dear and nothing she would have ever dreamed of sharing.

Her own tiredness crept into her head, making it increasingly burdening to keep it upright and making her yearn for a bed. She could tell Link had finally fallen asleep…

Wresting herself from the arms of Morpheus one last time, she carefully laid her knight down, then plodded towards the bed where she exhaustedly grabbed every piece of cloth that came between her fingers, all the while never stopping her humming. With every bit of care she could muster as her eyes burnt with the desire to be shut, she spread sheets and blankets over him, then crawled under them to snuggle against his strong body.

"What is that?" he asked, half here, half in the realm of dreams.

"A lullaby… my mother sang it to me when I was little… I've never heard it since she died and I haven't found it written down anywhere so I think she wrote it for me…"

" 's beautiful…" he babbled before at last sinking back under the surface of consciousness.

"It is…" she breathed, more to herself than anyone else… then she began again, humming it for him and herself until, not long after, she too fell asleep.

* * *

Some time later, Zelda awoke toilsomely, her head heavy and a strangely dusty taste in her mouth. Reluctantly opening her eyes, an act that seemed to take all the strength she currently had, she realized after a moment's confusion, that it was still completely dark outside. For a startled second, she thought she might have slept an entire day! Remembering how dead tired she had been, she wouldn't put it past herself… but no. If the amount of fatigue she still felt was what remained after a whole day of rest, she doubted she would ever willingly leave a bed for the rest of her life. Besides, the candle Link had lit was still burning, albeit only being little more than a stub.

Groggily, she gazed around, her vision still blurry, absentmindedly wiping away the little trail of drool from her chin. Something must have roused her… and if she knew anything about herself, nothing short of an earthquake would have disturbed her slumber!

Dazed slightly, she looked back down at the blonde boy at her side, breathing softly and easily, warm against her arm, his face as angelic as ever. She could sense no dreams in his soul… just calm, mellow waters with only occasional gentle swirls of thought. A tender wave of affection filled her from head to toe… She was just about to once again snuggle up against him as tightly as she could without waking him… when a sharp clacking sound made her head snap toward the large window on the far side.

A spiny looking outline against the dark, cloudy sky… for a moment she had no idea what it was and her heart started pounding. Then, after a moment, her eyes focused and she identified feathers… grey feathers…

Still not quite sure that she wasn't dreaming, she nudged her sleeping protector and whispered, half to him and half to the shape hanging from the windowsill "Veneli?!"

Link was awake in an instant and on his knee, ready to stand and fight at once.

"Sh! Don't give me away!" the boy's voice came quietly. Slowly it dawned on Zelda that this was anything but a normal visit, deep in the night, hanging from a window opposite the door. She could only see his wings and head and even that only faintly in the darkness… but she sensed his nervousness… and the immense graveness behind it.

Link said nothing, just watched him with an expression of both curiosity and concern.

Veneli looked at each of them in turn for a long time, the light of the candle reflecting ominously in his eyes. His voice sounded hoarse when he finally decided to speak.

"Did you… is anything of it true?" he asked, quavering but dead serous.

The two heroes looked at each other, hoping to find the right answer to give within each other's gaze. "Would you be here if you didn't believe us?" Link questioned at last in an attempt to lead their opposite to find his answer himself.

The young Rito shifted uncomfortably and breathed quicker. She could see what a tremendous effort it must have been to gather the courage to confront them… What had he hear from the others in his tribe? What had his grandfather told him? She bit her lip, her heart racing in her chest as if faced with a hundred enemies. Being mistrusted and feared had been bad enough… but if Veneli, someone she had already taken into her heart, were to hate them because of all this terrible madness…

"I help you over the Rift…" he finally spoke, strained and close to tears. "…I tell you secrets that no outsider should ever know… I return to my home and find my father gone, lost within the Guardian, pre… presumed de…" he took a sharp breath to get his voice back under control and Zelda had to clench her teeth against the urge to speak out. "I kept you secret despite being asked many questions, despite… everything else. And then you reappear from the temple… it's impossible that you passed the barren perimeter around it without being seen, we were watching every inch of it constantly… You, however, were unseen, just like the shadow that has stolen the key… just like the thing my father went to hunt in the sanctuary… a mission he never returned from… yet you exited unharmed…" His speech was erratic and nearly disjointed, but his point was piercingly clear. He swallowed heavily. "I want to hear it from you. Did you do it?"

"Everything we said, everything you heard was the truth." Link said, trying to keep his voice calm, but he, too, struggled not to let his emotions show… She could only imagine how desperately he must wish that their friend, their only friend here, believed them… She also suddenly realized what, or who, her protector had seemingly so absentmindedly gazed at during their interlocution with the High Chieftain. "We could not have stolen the key; it happened before we even met. We did come here to cause any harm, just the opposite. We did meet your father, he was uninjured, but not himself. We found who we suspect might be behind it all and we lost sight of her within the Deku Tree. I swear to you, on my life, that it is the truth."

Veneli looked at them for what seemed an eternity. Zelda silently prayed to whichever goddess might hear her that his words, which so longed for salvation, would be believed.

"I believe you…" he whispered. "Still, despite everything… I don't know if that makes me an even greater idiot than I already am…"

Finally exhaling the tortured breath she had been holding, Zelda nearly slumped to the ground in sheer relief. Link, too, sighed and closed his eyes for a moment. "Thank you…" he mumbled, trembling ever so slightly. "So much…" she added so softly she doubted he had even heard her.

"I… had to be sure… I*m sorry…" the young Rito muttered, sounding almost ashamed of himself. Zelda darted forward and, before he could so much as blink, hugged everything of him she could reach to her chest, earning an almost strangled squawk from the startled boy. She could hear her boyfriend move up behind her and clear his throat, indicating not so subtly that her current actions were the lead cause of embarrassment in this room.

"I'm so sorry, Veneli!" she breathed as she let go of him to gaze caringly into his eyes. "About all this doubt, about your father… we will save him, I promise you, as soon as-"

"-as my grandfather has decided?" the lad interrupted with a raised eyebrow. "No. I refuse to wait on his hesitancy. He is… not the man he once was…" There was bitterness in his voice as well as uncertainty… but also determination. "I am busting you out!" he finally proclaimed with an audacious grin.

"I know that kind of smile…" Link said with a smirk of his own. "I don't think we have a choice in the matter."

Zelda knew she could hardly refuse such a gift from the heavens… too much was at stake! Still, her conscience alarmed at the thought of blindly accepting such an offer from a youth, whose grief might have made him reckless and who might be throwing his future away to help them. "Listen. I know you are eager, desperate even to help your father… but I don't want you to be foolhardy! This-"

"What?! This is what?!" he hissed angrily, shaking her hands off his shoulders. "Do you take me for a fool? We don't have time, you said so yourself! Are you willing to help or not?!"

"Easy now!" Link soothed, but with enough vehemence that the boy was quiet at once. "Nobody said we refused your help. On the contrary, we are extremely grateful that you would, in spite of everything, come to our aid once again. And we don't take you for a fool, far from it. What Zelda meant to ask is: Have you thought carefully on what this might mean for _you_?" He poked him ruggedly in the chest. "We cannot reject your offer. There is simply too much at stake, for all of us. But I nevertheless want to know that you are aware of the consequences this might have for _you_."

Veneli swallowed, though whether it was to suppress his anger of his nerves, she could not quite say. "It's my dad… I cannot sit around, waiting for my grandfather's hectic, erratic turnings of mind until he has finally clobbered his choice together… especially not when a solution is right under my beak. I am prepared to accept the consequences for my actions… which will, most likely be exile… I hope… But fiery winds of hell, its my father! What… what choice do I have?!" he asked forlornly, gazing at each of them in turn as if, against all expectations, they could come up with an answer.

Zelda balled her hands into fists, digging her nails painfully into her palms. It pained her immensely to have to use this boy's, their friend's desperation for their own goals, no matter how valiant they might be. But she understood him… she knew, without a flicker of doubt, that she would act the same, have the same frantic resolve in her eyes that could make her endure all the pains hell had to offer in order to save a loved one. And she knew by her beloved's tensed, regretful face that he was no different.

They shared a long look, both understanding their shared compunctions and reluctance… but in the end, they knew there was no way past this.

"What is your plan?"

"It's simple…" the lad said with an expression that said it wasn't.

"Are you going to make us fly again?" Zelda asked, smirking, but with a slightly queasy feeling in her gut.

"That is plan B." the little rascal replied without hesitation, enjoying both their quizzical faces for a second. "Seriously though, that _is_ plan B. I'm… at least moderately sure that I can carry you individually… or at least fall with sufficient elegance that we won't break our necks."

"How very reassuring!" Link replied with but the faintest hint of sarcasm.

"Let us begin with plan A, then…" she prompted, hoping it would lead to success without the need of a backup.

"Plan A: I have nicked the key to this nest. The guard will leave in a few minutes… his daughter, a friend of mine, has agreed to help me lure him away. When he's gone, open the door and make your way quietly to the little nook between the first two nests on the right. I'll wait for you there." He handed them the small key, gave them a last, brief smile, then dropped backwards and fell into the night so abruptly that Zelda had to suppress a startled outcry.

They gazed at each other for a second before shrugging their shoulders, admitting they had no better idea.

* * *

In hindsight, both were breathlessly amazed that this had worked… Weaving through the entirety of the Rito village, darting from shadow to shadow, heart pounding whenever one of the guards walked past… Zelda was surprised they couldn't hear the ear-splitting thumping from her chest. This was probably the most nerve-wracking, but also exhilarating thing she had ever done and when finally they reached their destination after about an hour of sneaking over creaking wood and slinking hastily around to the next saving darkness, she had to slap her hand over her mouth to stop herself from giggling out loud.

Veneli, of course, had been of enormous help, showing them the most hidden and easiest to navigate route through his village and, by perching on the roofs of the nests, telling them the right timing of when to hustle and when to wait for a guard to pass. She got a the distinct feeling that this little rapscallion was rather frequently skulking his way through the nightly town… she vowed to one day ask him why he was so proficient at fooling the guards… and she already knew his embarrassment would be delightful.

In the end, they had traversed all three gaps between the mighty branches of the Guardian, arriving at the lowest of the four developed ones. The need for stealth added yet another layer of suspense on the already considerable tension of traversing the rickety constructions spanning the wide spaces in between. Link, of course, already walked the narrow, swinging paths as if he had done so all his life, hardly even looking down any more… She could scuff him for being so damned good at… everything!

At last, led by their feathered guide, they encountered a stairway leading even further down, driven directly into the bark of the Deku Tree. Following it, they reached a very sturdy looking platform, fashioned mostly from iron, rather than wood, something that was nowhere else to be seen around the village. As they stepped onto it, Zelda could see that a goron-sized nook had been carved from the Tree, which was now housing a large winch with a hefty looking chain going up, through the bark outside, and back down to a fenced off section of the platform.

"Ah… I thought that flying can't be the only way to transport goods up to you… and you did mention a Goron visiting you…" Link recalled, smirking.

"I heard they flew you up with that torture device… and did a few extra twists and turns… They had quite a laugh at your expense in the common room…" Veneli told them with a mixture of disapproval and guilty amusement. Neither of them was very surprised about that bit of news…

"Step on the elevator! I'm going to let you down and… it should be quiet enough that no-one hears… or, at least, you should already be down when they think twice and come to look." he bade them and got in position at a large lever next to the winch.

With an uneasy feeling in her belly, she sat down next to Link on the wood and metal construction. She noticed gratefully that, for once, nothing about this particular contraption creaked… she suspected the rickety look of the walkways and bridges of the village were more of an aesthetic choice of a people for whom heights did not matter… If their craftsmanship were poor, their spherical houses, jutting off at all angles from the branches, would be far too dangerous a place… When she shared these thoughts with her protector, he slowly nodded, absentmindedly chewing on his lip. "As usual, I hope the world actually follows your flawless logic…"

With a startling jolt the platform began to move downwards, slowly at first, but gaining a little speed once they were below the rest. She had to hand it to the winged warriors… the tk-tk-tk-tk sound accompanying their descent was indeed surprisingly silent… yet in the surrounding quiet it still stood out like a Zora in the woods.

"Look!" Link nudged her and nodded towards the horizon. She followed his gaze and a little smile formed around her lips. The very first rays of the sun turned the sky behind the jagged mountains a soft shade of pink… the stark, ridged outline of the mighty peaks against the increasingly colourful spectacle was alluring and forbidding at once. Still far below them, the sea of trees was slowly lifted from the dark grey stupor of the night and the first smooth brushes of light sprinkled the highest leaves… a magnificent contrast, light and dark… and the incomparable beauty they could beget when they danced peacefully around each other…

She looked back around into his face and her smile widened. That spark in his eyes that betrayed his love for nature, the gentle expression of serenity that bespoke his genuine fascination with life… and, at this moment, the simple fact that he could, again, take joy out a simple moment… It all filled her with unending relief and gratitude and… much, much more.

"How are you feeling, sweety?" she asked, a little hesitant, but she just wanted to hear him, as well as see…

His eyes met hers and the smile he awarded her with, radiating so much pure affection, nearly melted her heart. "Much, much better… I feel I can… live again…"

His words were corny and, by the slight, doubtful wrinkling of his nose, he knew it. A little giggle couldn't quite be suppressed, but she felt that a little hamminess was acceptable. "Thank you, Zelda… from the bottom of my heart… for being here with me through all these mad trials and tribulations… and…" She staunched the flow of his sweet, embarrassed babbling by laying a few gentle fingers on his lips… mostly so she wouldn't have to blush an even deeper crimson that she already had.

"Always…" she mumbled, her face burning, then pulled herself eagerly towards him and kissed him fiercely, both their noses squashed against each other's face, but not caring. She didn't even feel the considerable swinging of the platform her sudden movement had caused… Her head was simply too abuzz with the incomparable sensation of finally being able to feel his lips on hers again… there was just no more space for anything else… only one thought briefly flashed through her drunken mind and it caused her smile like a lunatic. 'If only this stupid platform could get stuck right now…'

* * *

The elevator landed on the ground with a heavy thud. "Are you tired?" she asked him after they had, with some heated reluctance, exited it and, after a moment of orientation, started walking along the trunk toward the temple.

"Surprisingly, not too much… we couldn't have slept much more than four hours…" he guessed, then threw a sideways glance at her, grinning. "Maybe that lullaby of yours was magical…"

"Dolt… I'll try it the next time you annoy me! Maybe you'll just get cross-eyed and smack face first into the dirt!" she countered, gifting him a sardonic little smirk.

He chuckled, but didn't say anything. A sombre little smile played around her lips. He wasn't quite yet himself again… usually he wouldn't have passed up such an opportunity for their beloved bantering… His mind must still be preoccupied with rebuilding itself. She wasn't perturbed… healing took its time. Last time he had smacked her soul back into the right shape, it too had taken a few days until, finally the brooding had an end.

They found their backpacks after a few minutes of silent walking. Unsurprisingly, they had been searched for the key, and not too delicately. But, at least, everything seemed to be whole.

A few seconds later they heard a light flapping sound overhead. Link's head snapped upwards, but his posture relaxed again when he saw the grey feathers of their saviour. And he didn't come alone…

"Our swords!" her protector exclaimed excitedly as he spotted what the boy was carrying in his talons. "How in the world did you…"

"They had been brought before my grandfather, then had been left in the common room… they didn't really have a reason to guard them, with you 'safely locked away', now did they?" he answered with a smug voice. "You had a knife too, didn't you? Unfortunately I couldn't find it… I had to get out quickly…"

"Brother, don't you dare apologize after all you've already helped us!" Link said grandly as he affixed his sword where it belonged. "I bet the one who captured us still has it. I did ask him to watch over my weapons, so maybe he at least keeps half of his promise…"

"Well, in hindsight, good thing he didn't keep keener eye on it." Zelda muttered as she strapped her rapier to her belt.

Once they were all repackaged and armed, Link having recovered his shield which he had left with the bags, they all hustled towards the gate inside the Tree.

They slinked back into the hollow beneath the enormous roots. Once they were right before the arched entrance, they stopped to look back at their incredibly helpful little friend.

"Right… I don't think it would be wise if you waited here, you should probably fly back and act as if you knew nothing…" Link suggested, placing a thankful hand on the boy's shoulder.

His face, however, contorted into a puzzled frown. "What?"

"This is where we must part." her guardian said, suddenly also perplexed. "I swear we will find a way to-"

The lad brushed his hand away with a snappish beat of his wing and glared angrily. "No no no, you can shut right up!" he spat, fury in his eyes. "What do you think I freed you for?! So _you_ can open the gate for _me_!"

"Veneli, I don't…" Zelda began, but knew she had no right to contradict… and pointing out the obvious danger would simply be an insult to the lad's intelligence. "We don't even know what this woman, this witch is capable of!" she finally uttered.

"I don't give… I don't care! I'm just here for my dad! I… I don't doubt that you can do it but… You'll need me!" he whined, gesticulating wildly.

"If he truly is under the woman's spell… He might not even…" Link began, but didn't get farther.

" _I know_! That's why I have to be there, to… to get him out of that enchantment! Or…" he swallowed heavily and took a few trembling breaths. "…or at least to make sure he doesn't harm you. At the very least I can engage him until you are past!"

They looked at each other, both he and she still acutely aware of how their last encounter with the Rito warchief had ended.

"Your grandfather said, Tamali was the most powerful aeromancer alive…" Link pointed out.

The boy huffed. "My grandfather is… he was a great man, once. He still is, I think. Everyone speaks extremely highly of him, but… He is old and… he knows it. I heard him speak to my father, telling him how, on some days, he feels as if he had to fight a battle for every thought. He has come to rely heavily on my dad for, well, managing the tribes. And now my father is missing…" He spoke apologetically, as if he had to vindicate his grandfather's indecision…

"It's true that my dad is very powerful… but I am even stronger!" he announced, his head held high and proud, his voice firm and so full of conviction that there wasn't even one iota of doubt. Link and Zelda looked at each other, momentarily lost for word… then shrugged.

"I am tired of talking." the boy proclaimed haughtily. "We will enter the tree together!" And he walked purposefully past them into the dragon-room, his impressive strut only slightly marred by his obviously shaking knees.

"Well…" Link sighed with a look of amused defeat. "You heard the sub-sub-high chieftain! Onwards!"

* * *

The sickening, blurry turning of the dragon room was no better the third time she experienced it… Again her dizzy head needed a good ten seconds to regain any semblance of orientation. Veneli, already nervous, had subconsciously grabbed on to both their arms as the menacing yellow eyes of the emerald dragon had come to life. Now, with the twisting lizard having finished its writhing turn around the round chamber, he realized his little lapse in composure and mumbled a cute little 'sorry'.

After they had picked themselves up from the no longer rocking floor, they carefully made their way further into the Deku Tree, with Link in the front and she in the rear.

The sight of utter destruction that greeted them in the large hall felt like a knife in her stomach… All those lovely tables, the chairs, all differently, intricately designed, as well as the many wonderful toys… All thoughtlessly smashed and broken against the wall, all that sweet, sad history vandalised in one soulless, senseless act of violence. Filled with strange sorrow, she glance at Link who seemed to have a much, much deeper connection with this place than she… She saw his wide open eyes, the hard, angry lines in his face, the cramped white of his knuckles… and his gaze found the silvery white Rito who had done this, yet wasn't to blame.

Tamali stood stock-still in front of the tunnel entrance on the far side, his head turned towards them, yet his eyes seeming to look through them and far into the distance. There was no stirring in his posture, no emotion in his face, not even when Veneli stepped clearly into view. The boy's breath went quicker, his fingers fidgeting uneasily at seeing his father in such an unnatural, disturbing state.

"Warchief Tamali!" Link raised his voice. "We are here to combat the true evil that has entered this place. It is not us, you should be fighting! You know this! Fight against this power that has you in its grasp!"

It was worth the try, but he might just as well have talked to the wall. There was no indication that the tall warrior had understood, or even heard them.

They tried advancing another step.

The Rito's posture changed immediately, from stiff, statuesque immobility to an aggressive stance, wings spread and starting to glow.

"Duck!" Link commanded, stepping in front of Zelda and pushing her down she was fully covered. The dreaded wing-beat came with a sudden clap… they were completely out in the open! Like a feathered arrow Veneli darted forward and, with a strained grunt, threw his own wings up. The storm conjured by the warchief crashed against an invisible barrier with an ear-shattering roar. Behind their young friend the wind was still violently tearing at their clothes and hair, but everywhere around the sheer force caused tables to crash and chairs to shatter. The boy was pushed back until Link helped him brace against the onslaught. When the wave finally ended, he slowly, tremblingly lowered his wings.

"Father, please!" Veneli's high voice rang piercingly through the hall. His eyes were bespeaking his shocked horror at seeing dad, whom he clearly admired intensely, show such unbridled, furious violence against him with this callous, emotionless expression… For a second Zelda feared he would break, feared the child that had only just begun its way into adulthood would win and send him into panic. But the lad rallied and she could only imagine how much self-control it took.

"Father, it's me! Veneli… your son… your little buzzard!" he cried loudly and imploringly. "Please! Come back to yourself!"

Zelda could swear that, for a moment, a twitch coursed through Tamali's face… the first reaction of any kind whatsoever! "Keep talking! Let your voice guide him back!" she yelled as Link dragged her over to the side room, the kitchen.

The fearsome, bluish glow returned, but this time, Veneli was ready. With his own, smaller feathers radiating bright white, he weathered the attack much better. His face was contorted and his body was straining against the incredible force, but he kept his ground.

"Father! Dad! Stop this, please! You are not being yourself! Fight it!" Another heartfelt plea, another twitch in his father's face, maybe a slight quaking in his claws, but little else.

Once Link had led her to the relative safety of the doorway, she could see him snap around to watch their friend, his muscles tensing, ready to dart back out to come to his aid.

Veneli made a few steps closer, his arm outstretched, silently begging his father to come to his senses. Another wave of blue energy discharged from the Rito's wings, shredding through the room with painful clangour, but bouncing off the boy's own aeromantic barrier.

Once the gale had died down, Link sprinted out along the wall, circling around the warchief, about halving the distance.

The young boy was only a metre away when the next incredibly mighty blast hit him, the powers of wind that clashed against each other so intense that the rushing air distorted the light, making the protective sphere around the lad almost visible. He had raised his hands to shield his face, screaming with the effort of holding himself against his father's attack, trembling vigorously on his whole body.

Zelda, her face a mask of sheer dismay, watched in horror as blood popped out of the boy's nostril.

The wave ebbed, and for a while the only thing that could be heard was the ragged breath of Veneli, quick and tremulous, tears streaming from his eyes. She glanced over at Link, his expression rigid and tortured with the insanity of the scene in front of them. He had his hand on his sword, the muscles on his jaw grinding vigorously, but his eyes trained unblinkingly at the two Rito. With sudden fright she realized what her beloved was preparing himself to do, should the worst occur… She saw the steely determination in his gaze, but also the silent, beseeching prayer that he wouldn't have to do the unthinkable…

Veneli, gasping, made the last few steps to his father and, after a second of staring helplessly into his eyes, embraced him.

"Please! Come back!" he begged, as the pale blue shine once again filled the room.

A panicked shriek… a drawn sword… a slow, terribly unstoppable closing of glowing wings…

"Come baaaaAAAAAACK-" a shrill cry of sheer desperation, drowned out by the overpowering cyclone centred around Veneli, blasting his father's winds effortlessly away and pummelling him with its immense force. A tempest born of utter despair, wild and uncontrolled, its power darkened the room with its writhing, clashing air streams. Both Zelda and Link, hanging on for dear life, could hardly breath as the oxygen seemed to be sucked out from their lungs.

When finally the violent gales died down, Tamali had sunk down, his unconscious body held only by his son's unbroken embrace.

Both Link and Zelda darted towards them, in a mad rush to see to Veneli's wellbeing and seeing to the stricken warrior.

"I'm fine!" the boy whined, helping his friend to carefully lay his father down. The boy angrily rubbed the blood from his nose and the tears from his cheeks, trying to hide the sobs racking his body.

"He's breathing… doesn't seem to be injured..." Zelda muttered half to him, half to herself.

"I beat the hell out of him…" the lad wept, frantic and quaking.

Link looked around, his gaze coming to rest on a strange medallion hanging from the man's belt. "The key! Zelda, he has the key! Quick, help me get him into the dragon-room! Veneli, take the key, bring him back outside, fly up, get help! Come on!" he commanded, reaching under the Rito's armpits to grab and drag him over to the indicated destination. Running beside them, the boy deftly took the key, then quickly moved a few pieces of debris away from the doorway.

Link placed the silvery warrior down gently, then turned back towards the lad. "You understand? Get him help once you're outside. We'll handle things in here!"

The brave young lad nodded, still fighting his tears.

"V… Veneli?" a throaty voice made them look down. The kid cried out in surprise and relief and knelt down next to his father. The beaten rooster, clearly struggling to keep awake, raised a jittery hand to his son's head and pulled him into a tight hug. "My dear… my dearest… I'm so sorry… oh goddess, I'm so, so…"

"Shhh… It's fine dad. It's over." their friend consoled between his sobs.

The warchief's gaze, already defocusing again, found the two others, standing aside, awed and relieved to no end. "Thank you… thank…" His eyes closed and his muscles went slack. Veneli was about to panic when Zelda put a calming hand on his shoulder. "He's alright, just sleeping. Get him outside now, quick!" she ordered, smiled fiercely, then led her protector from the round room.

The boy nodded and rushed over to the symbol of the leaf. He placed the iron spiral of the key into the matching groove and immediately, the dragon-room's rumbling could be felt in the wood.

"You come back out, you hear?! You don't die and you come back out!" the lad's high voice rang imploringly over the low din, just before the chamber sank into the eerie darkness and, with grinding and splintering of wood, turned away, swallowing all sound from within.

And after a few more seconds, all sound stopped and what remained of the exit was nothing but a blank wall of wood…

* * *

 **While this chapter is undoubtedly flawed, I also kinda love it…**

 **It's odd, some chapters are probably objectively better, more coherent, but I don't like them quite as much.**

 **Brain is weird.**

 **So… finally temple next time… took a while… Don't know if I know what I'm doing…**


	50. The Deku Tree Temple: Part 1

The Deku Tree Temple: Part 1

Link

The rotating portal had come to a halt with a deep and disturbingly final sounding creak… and all they were looking at now was an impenetrable wall, featureless apart from the wavy grain of the wood of the Deku tree.

They both stared mutely at the place where, just a minute before, the exit to the outside had been… gone with the only two people who might have lent their assistance in here.

Link tried hard not to show how forlorn he suddenly felt, locked in a place that might hold both unfathomable wonders and unspeakable perils, with an enemy of devious powers who had an immense head-start and could lie in waiting at every turn…

He glanced at his beloved and winced slightly at seeing that she, too, couldn't quite keep her anxiety from showing on her enchanting face… With a fiercely clenched fist he vowed that he would see her through this, unharmed, and that he would see her smile happily into the sun again…

Her head turned towards him and a little knowing smile formed on her lips. She was probably aware of what he was thinking… she was probably considering him a dolt, but that was nothing new…

"Shall we go?" he asked softly, nervous, but also eager to leave this depressing, obstructive wall behind and continue exploring.

"Hm." she nodded, in her eyes the same mixture of emotions he felt. They reached out simultaneously and took each other's hand. Then, armoured with each other's comforting presence, they were ready.

Quietly they turned away from the now barred exit and passed sombrely through the wreckage of the once so cheerful looking hall. They reached the corridor where they had first seen Tamali and that ominous woman with the red, glowing eyes… a shiver flashed through him at the memory of those sinister orbs meeting his… it had been as if two gateways into the darkest abyss had opened and vile, searching tendrils had pierced his mind, looking to strangle all will and thought… all while she laughed… A thought so horrible that it nearly took his breath away loomed at the edge of his conscious.

"Zelda…" he mumbled, halting.

"Hm?" Their fingers were still locked together and she gently squeezed.

"I… want you to promise me… If at any point you cannot go on, for whatever reason… I want you to tell me immediately so we can find another way… and to insist on it, if I don't react right away. Beat me over the head and drag me back, if necessary… Would you do that?" his voice was low, as was his gaze. He couldn't bare to look at her right now, in fear of finding nothing but incomprehension.

"What makes you say that?" He could nearly see her quizzical expression without even looking at her; her elegant right eyebrow raised, her full, beautiful lips pursed just the tiniest bit, the lovely little dimple that came from her biting the inside of her left cheek in concentration… He knew her face so well, but still far, far too little to be even remotely satisfied…

He raised her hand to his mouth, where he took it between both of his, almost as if praying, and put a soft kiss on her fingers. "Please…"

"I promise, Link. I promise I will do as you ask. But I want to know: Why ask this of me now?" she asked curiously, extending her index-finger to let it tickle and caress around his nose.

He finally gazed back up into her sparkling sky-blue eyes and couldn't help but smile a little. "Because I know you are just as stubborn and harsh towards yourself as I am towards me."

"In that case…" she replied, echoing his grin with a sweet one of hers. "I demand the same pledge from you. I want you to tell me when you are exhausted… or hurt. And if I'm doing something stupid, I want you to tell me at once and grab me by the scruff of my neck and pull me away. Agreed?"

With that shy, adorable smile she blessed him with, she could have asked him to, from this day forth, only ever wear undergarments and a pink bow in his hair, he would have probably said yes. "I promise. And to seal our pact…" he darted close and stole a tiny kiss from her lips before backing out again. Grinning slyly, he enjoyed how her features went from perplexed to cautioning amusement. "Don't make me beat you over the head already, as you asked, sausage knight…" she growled with her cute, high voice, unable to hide her smirk.

"Well, now that we've negotiated terms and agreements, we can move on!" he replied, some of the tension inside him relieved for the moment.

They made it to the large, round wooden portal where he had first seen the witch and her then mind-slave. The heavy door, which looked like the cross section of an enormous tree, was barring their way forward. There was no sign of any sort of mechanism that might open it…

Zelda stepped close to it, scrutinizing it up and down. "Do you… think it might open like the other one?" she asked, half to herself.

"Possibly… should I try?"

"Hm… let me first… the Rito legend spoke of two who would be welcome amidst the Guardian's children, correct?" she muttered, raising her right hand. Gingerly she brought her fingers close to the wood as Link watched with held breath. A tiny gasp escaped her as a faint, bluish glimmer appeared where she touched the door, though she didn't pull back. "It feels odd… warm, but… sad…" she mumbled, focussing on something he couldn't sense. Shaking her head free of whatever thought had occupied it, she slowly drew the leaf symbol from memory. As she had finished the one-line glyph, a loud ligneous crack made them both jump. The large door, which previously had had no gaps, was ripped out of the floor and lifted up until only the bottommost part of its lower curvature could be seen. Baffled, they both looked back down simultaneously, to see the wound the gate had left in the wood close within seconds until it was once again a smooth, unbroken surface. Both their heads bobbed up and down several times as they gazed back and forth between the mended ground and the visible rest of the door above, which also no longer showed any signs of being a separate, movable object. Finally, they gazed at each other, eyes wide and mouths open, dumbfounded. Suddenly, without warning, Zelda burst out laughing and nearly fell over. "Your… your face…" she exclaimed between giggles.

"Well, yours too!" he replied defensively, but had no choice other than joining into her chuckling.

Their little fit didn't last long, sadly, but still… it did alleviate some of the crampy tension, leaving both their minds all the freer. "By the goddess… if a simple door is able to fill us with awe like this, what incredible wonders will we encounter as we proceed?" she asked, her face flushed and alive from laughter, her eyes sparkling with an irresistible spirit of adventure. Farore's mercy, how he would love to show her all the miracles of this world, experience them all with her by his side without this dreadful executioner's axe of the Threat looming constantly above their heads… Then again… would he have ever been able to go on such an adventure, would he have even met her, had there been no such menace? Was it selfish to find some personal good in such a terrifying evil?

Bah, worthless thoughts! With a mental slap to his face, he snapped himself out of the encroaching mood-swing and instead let her marvellous excitement wash over him as much as possible. There was time for seriousness when it was needed.

"Then let's not waste any more time and get this filth scrubbed out, so we can explore at our leisure!" he announced festively, stole yet another quick peck from her, just for good luck, and onwards they went.

The tunnel forward wound its way through the wood in near darkness. Only some tiny green flickers of light remained, tiny bioluminescent pods of a moss that clung to the walls. Link stood by, silently waiting as his little scientist gingerly collected a few samples, fascinated by the deft movements of her elegant hands… and more than a little amused at how the greenish light gave her immaculate face the appearance of a witchdoctor of the most sinister kind, who was about to cackle at her newest vicious invention. Valuing his life, he refrained from pointing that little observation out to her…

"I can't wait to figure out what these are!" she whispered excitedly, her eyes beaming at him even without the emerald light reflecting in them. "I have never heard of such a plant! It might be completely endemic to this unique environment! We could have discovered a hitherto unknown species! We have to find out what they could be used for, once we're out!"

While he shared her enthusiasm, no person with a heart could have resisted it, he somehow got the strange feeling that he would have the dubious pleasure of 'finding out' while she documented…

When at last he managed to pry the professor away from her new discovery, they stumbled their way on, moving past tiny slippery runlets of water, the occasional root-tuber and some moist vine-curtains, which elicited a small, disgusted squeak from his lovely companion as she ran face first into one. He couldn't blame her… he too had his eyes everywhere at once and more than once had to catch himself before he either slipped or smacked his head. It was strange… they were currently passing through a narrow, winding corridor, covered in near darkness except for a faint greenish glow on the walls, which let every shape in their way appear alien and peculiar… and yet, neither of them felt in the least bit threatened. On the contrary, in all this jungle-like pathlessness, they felt sheltered, at ease… It was… as if they had returned to a house they remembered fondly from their childhood, only now it was covered in dust and cobwebs… as if time and change hadn't been able to wipe away the sense of security it once harboured… At least, he felt like this…

Finally, they reached the end… or rather, they bumped into the door on the far side. Eager to see what hid behind, Link drew the leaf and the door was lifted upwards, once again with an echoing crack. What lay beyond took both their breaths away…

An enormous cylindrical hall, at least twenty metres across and possibly a hundred high… the high humidity in here made it difficult to tell, as mist blurred everything farther away than a stone's throw. In the middle, on their level, was… Link's mind fumbled for words to make sense of what his eyes told him… an oasis. A very gentle hill, covered with sparse grass. The mound was encircled by a gently running rivulet, fed by a spring that emerged directly from the wood of the far wall. The hill was crowned with, well, yet another tree, only about 5 metres high, yet looking incredibly gnarled and ancient. A broad streak of light fell onto the hill and the tree. As he gazed further up, he saw a crack within the bark, about three men high, through which the strong ray shone, strong enough to illuminate the entire height of the hall.

He looked back at the marvel in front of him. With a feeling of profound sadness that he couldn't quite explain, he saw that only one single leaf remained, while the others had fallen all over the ground and had turned yellow, orange, red and brown…

For a long minute Link stared at every detail of the tree within the tree, feeling memories assault his mind that were just barely out of reach… A place of power… a place of comfort… a home… once… Almost without him consciously doing so, he stepped closer, all around him nearly forgotten. The closer he got, the nearer the countless memories of safety and belonging were… but also the deep feelings of endless regret and loss… His ears perceived Zelda's increasingly urgent words, but their meaning didn't make it to his brain.

At last he knelt down at the foot of the hill, right into the crystal-clear, cold water… he didn't mind… he barely even felt it. His fingers brushed over the earth, the thin grass and fallen leaves, then clenched a bit of dirt into trembling fists.

 _Link… you have come…_

Not even a whisper, less than the faintest breath… But it rumbled through his soul as if he once again heard the deep, gentle, tutelary voice…

Once again?!

The spell broke, the flood of scrambled, unreadable memories ceased… and the world around the tree returned. He looked at his hands that had cramped painfully around little pieces of earth and now were dirty.

"Link! What is it? Did you… have a…" she stopped, unsure how to word her question.

He straightened and looked over his shoulder, suddenly very aware of the icy wetness around his legs… but not yet able to rise. Too close was the melancholy still…

Zelda had remained outside of the circle of water, fidgeting, uncertain…

Smart… very prudent, he thought and smiled proudly… but in this case, unwarranted. There was hardly a place in the world that wanted them safer than this one…

"I'm alright…" he mumbled, finally finding the strength to rise with a little splash after he rinsed off his hands.

Overcoming her hesitation, she too stepped into the little stream, uncaring of the cold around her feet. She stepped around him, whose gaze was once again transfixed on the dying tree. "Link, you… you were crying…" she said softly, wiping the tears away from his cheeks with her warm, gentle fingers.

"Was I?" He raised his hand to his eye to check. "I didn't notice…" he mumbled dully.

"What was it?" she asked timidly, her gaze curious, but worried.

"I… don't know…" he answered truthfully.

"Have you… Do you recognize this place?" Somehow he knew that she had nearly asked him whether he had been here before… which would have sounded absurd, of course… but why, then, did it feel like the correct question to ask?

"I… something in me did… I think… Why do you ask?"

"You said something back in the High Chieftain's home… that this valley was not his to lay claim to and that he had no right to deny anyone entrance, especially not you…" She sounded hesitant, as if she wasn't sure how he would react.

"I did?" he questioned, then shook his head. "I don't even remember…"

"It sounded like… it came from a different you… I even thought that, for a moment, you looked a tiny bit different…"

"Hmm… a different me from the past…" was all he could reply. What else could he say?

"What is this place? " Zelda finally asked, gazing around.

"The heart… The very essence of the Great Deku Tree." he answered immediately, without the shadow of a doubt, though he had no idea where that knowledge came from. "…Don't ask me how I know that… It was as if countless memories were pelting my mind, trying to be let in… But they were… of a different life… distorted…" His head throbbed at trying to understand something so alien… so schizophrenic…

"But something apparently reached through…" Zelda mused, gazing into his eyes as if she could decode it all this way. "Little fragments of a past… incarnation? What kind or memories were they? How did they feel?"

Link's face scrunched up in concentration, then mellowed again. "Comfort… security… home…" The faint recollection almost made him smile. "I think… I… he… was raised here… among the other children of the forest… That's why I… he became sad… seeing the Deku Tree like this…" he indicated vaguely back towards the dying tree, not daring to look at it again in fear that sorrow might overcome him once more.

"He is… alive…" his love muttered, staring at the mound in concentration.

"I… heard him… I think… just barely. Do you sense something?" he asked, genuinely curious.

"I… I think…" she answered, biting her lip. She made a hesitant step closer, then stopped herself just before she would walk onto the mound and looked back at him. "Do you think… I can go to i-… Him?" she questioned as if asking him for permission… as if he were the family-member of a dying person. It felt weird and fitting at once…

He searched his mind for a good ten seconds. "I feel that… if anyone is welcome, it would be us… This place is not a… a shrine that must be marvelled at from afar… He always wanted life around him…" he replied with a slightly choked up voice.

A soft wisp of a smile showed on her features and she nodded as if she understood perfectly… as if she, maybe, felt the same thing. Zelda took a careful step onto the hill, sinking a couple of centimetres into the soft soil, dry leaves crackling under her shoe. He heard her exhale a nervous breath, then take another tender step. She stopped, gazed at a low hanging branch and slowly extended a trembling hand. Her fingers grazed against the bark ever so gently…

Zelda's sudden outcry shattered the serene picture. He was with her in an instant, heart pounding at the sight of her startled eyes. "What is…?"

"It's fine… It's fine, Link!" she insisted, taking the hand that had squeezed around her shoulder softly into hers to calm him. "I… I just didn't expect… how silly of me!" she shook her head, smiling wistfully. He studied her, still afraid that she might have suffered some unknown attack, that something might have happened. She gazed at him, eyes alight with fascination. "It was like touching the mind of the land itself… an intellect so immense and unfathomable… it frightened me for a moment… It was just so much…" she explained, her ears flushing a tiny bit in nonsensical shame. A relieved half-sigh half-laugh escaped him and he shook his head. How incredibly jumpy he was…

"Still… I sensed gentleness… kindness…" Gingerly she extended her fingers once again to have but the faintest touch. Another jolt coursed through her and her face scrunched up in intense focus. After only two seconds, she let go, her breath going fast. "He… is dormant… waiting… almost completely inert… and his dreams aren't pleasant…" she panted, then looked at him apologetically. "I'm sorry, but… it's just too much…"

"You don't have to…" he began, but was cut short.

The loud noise of wood splintering made them nearly jump in the air. It came from all around, making them gasp and look around wildly. Unable to believe their eyes, they saw something emerge from the wooden walls around them… A spiral grew out of the bark, beginning at their level and leading all the way up, as far as they could tell. It grew with cacophonous groans until had the rough shape of a ramp, bumpy and uneven, not unlike the Deku Tree's branches. With a deep rumble, the wondrous growth spurt ceased. Both gazed all about in awe at what had just transpired, trying to collect their thoughts… when suddenly the mood changed dramatically. With an abruptness that startled them both, the gentle murmur of the stream ceased, leaving an eerie silence. The effects were imminent… What had just a moment ago been an invisible bubble of tranquillity burst and the odd feelings of comfort and security dissipated into a dreadful empty nothing. The vibrant colours of the fallen leaves faded to a sickly brown, the water that had appeared clear and fresh suddenly seemed stagnant and infested with algae… Even the ray of light coming through the bark seemed to go frail and dull.

There was an eerie silence all of a sudden that sent goosebumps crawling over Link's skin. The air seemed thick and the hint of rot was carried in it… Breathing it seemed almost noxious and immediately he had to swallow sour spit. Zelda wasn't faring any better… Worried, he saw how pale she had gotten and she subconsciously held her hand over her stomach. Their eyes met, both reading the same regretful understanding… Whatever last vestige of purifying influence the Deku Tree had been able to maintain, He had sacrificed it to grant them passage, had expended the last bit of power He had… and the malicious presence that had invaded this temple had now infested even this last sanctuary. He could find no words for how sorrowful that made him… and how angry! But, judging by the newly lit fire in those entrancing eyes of hers, there was no need to state what was already obvious.

"We have to hurry!" he said simply and she nodded. Her face was pale, grim and determined… hard but incredibly beautiful… even now he could not fail to notice…

He jumped over the rank puddle and she deftly followed. Her glance backwards at what had moments ago been a lively little stream was filled with ponderous compunction. "Do you think… we can help the Tree?" she muttered, even her voice sounding muffled and hollow in the dreadful staleness all around.

He thought for a moment, then balled his fists. "I damn sure hope so! I will not let the Deku Tree die to this witch and her vile influence! There must be something we can do!" Even to his own ears, his words sounded more like a desperate wish than a definite plan. Still, that did not mean he would let anything untried.

"Link, look!" her voice pulled him out of his pondering. Following her extended finger, he noticed that not only was there now a way upwards, but a small hatchway downwards as well. He could have sworn that that hadn't been there when they entered… and apparently she had also just noticed.

"Hm… I wonder what's down there…" he mumbled, trying to decide where to go.

"And why the Tree opened it up for us…" Zelda thought aloud, finishing his sentence. Her face was creased with consideration for a second, as was his… then her eyes turned wide. "Unless… if the water stopped flowing…"

"The roots!" they exclaimed as one, both gazing into each other's eyes, hopeful to have found the solution. They hustled over to the split in the floor, where a wooden ramp softly wound its way downwards. He was just about to lead the way below when he abruptly stopped and motioned for her to do the same.

A few seconds passed where he heard little more than his heartbeat. "What?" his curious partner finally asked barely audibly.

"I thought I heard something…" he whispered, closing his eyes and focussing solely on his hearing. After another moment he shook his head, pursing his lips.

Zelda had waited patiently and now exhaled her held breath. "Sorry…" he muttered.

"What did you hear?" she asked warily.

"Wing beats…" he explained, looking up mistrustfully, wishing his eyes could better pierce the mist.

She swallowed, her gaze unsure. "Rito?" she questioned nervously.

"No..." he simply said with dreadful certainty.

He chewed on the inside of his cheek, unsure how to react. For whatever reason he had assumed that they would knew what to do, that one thing would just lead to the next… but now he found himself standing there, undecided already, fearing that a wrong turn might forever bar the way to victory. Up or down… His heart started pounding in sudden angst, feeling more and more powerless the longer he tarried. But what to choose? Both ways seemed right… Down brought them to the roots that had failed… maybe they could restore some function so the Tree wouldn't perish? Then again… Up undoubtedly led them to the originator of the Deku Tree's ailment… what was this murderous witch doing? And how much time did they have before her plans succeeded, which would undoubtedly result in the Tree's death?

The Deku Tree… a friend… a friend so ancient and so precious that even though Link had next to no memory of it, he felt connected to Him like a child to his father… and he couldn't bloody decide how to help! Link, the would-be hero, who failed to save his friend due to irresolute inaction…

All those pointless thoughts ran amok in his mind in less than a second, constricting his throat and nearly making him sweat… until Zelda's hand grabbed his arm and squeezed. "Hey!"

He stopped his restless fidgeting and gazed into her eyes… "We can do this! We will not fail! I believe in you…" she spoke, her voice going quiet and caring in the end, her cheeks reddening just this tiny bit… Her beloved eyes… they too were full of fears, uncertainties and desperate hopes… but also sincerity… With an odd feeling in his gut, he understood that she really did believe… in him… in the truest sense of the word. In all the madness, all the terrors and all the tribulations, this faith kept her strong and calm.

If he had been asked, he would have thought that such an additional burden would exacerbate his feelings of inadequacy, but… strangely… the momentary panic passed. He noticed the tiny, uplifting smile that just barely played around her lips and he felt his heart calm as if a terribly heavy burden had been lifted from it. Odd, he thought to himself… maybe, sometimes, a little belief is enough… Or, his thinking continued as a small grin of his own crept on his face, maybe it is simply about who does the believing…

"Right…" he muttered, pulling himself arduously out of the sickly sinkhole of self-doubt he had nearly sunken into. "Sorry… My mind seems to be working against itself…" he explained, rather lamely to his ears. He felt his ears go hot with embarrassment at his brief lapse in self-control, but his princess shook her head.

"It's this place… or what has been done to it. The gentle comfort of the Deku Tree abruptly shattered by whatever this sinister power is… It's harrowing… like being woken from a warm bed by being doused with ice-water…" She shivered a little and his sharp eyes spotted goosebumps on her arms. If he had already been so susceptible to what she described, how agonizing must it be for her? She, who he was certain could feel it when an ant bumped its knee within three kilometres… He took her hand and together they went downwards. Only later did he realize that, distractedly, he had simply decided by pure instinct…

"Hmm… I'm sure you're right… Still, I really think your own brain should have the decency of being on your side…" he stated, rapping against his head with his knuckles.

"Pfff…" a very unrefined noise escaped her perfect lips, much to his amusement. "That thing does whatever in Din's hell it wants… That is why, occasionally, you need someone to knock it back into shape!" she cooed syrupily and poked his cheek with a quick finger.

He caught it with his hand, fast as a mousing cat, and placed a quick peck on it. "I suspect this hand will have to do quite a bit of knocking before we have succeeded…" he grumbled, half serious and half in jest. Then his grin widened and he glanced at her wryly. "I also suspect you might be unhealthily eager and happy about that… unhealthy for me, that is…" he chuckled, his warbling voice indicating that a little unwholesomeness would be an acceptable price to pay for being manhandled by a certain someone.

"Your health and safety shall forever be my primary concern…" she intoned with the effusive voice of a politician, her cynical grin playing a beautiful contrast. "As long as you promise to continue doing the honours and pushing me back to sanity whenever it's needed… that might happen no fewer, I fear…"

There was playfulness in her mesmerizing gaze… but mostly absolute sincerity. It was the same sincerity he had hoped to convey himself, which relieved him greatly. Whom else could they expect to wrench themselves back on track when their minds threatened to go astray, other than themselves? Who else understood? Who else had the power?

"Then we have a contract!" He pronounced grandly and placed another little peck on her knuckle, almost as a seal of their agreement.

The brief moment of levity felt frail… every smile twitching, every laugh a bit forced… a hollow attempt to ease the overpowering feeling of stifling evil that seemed to spoil every breath and defile every inch of skin…

All the easier was it collapsed and all the quicker forgotten as they passed the last bend of the gently declining, twisting path deeper into the bowels of the Tree. They had only just gotten used to the oppressive, thick reek when suddenly, from one step to the next, it turned to the most vile stench that seemed to wrench their stomachs with a merciless grip. Instinctively, both retreated a few paces, holding their bellies. Zelda convulsed pitifully with a merciless retch and Link too had to focus on steady breathing to keep his innards from spilling. With wobbling knees he walked over to her to give her what little assistance he could… Mostly, he supported her weight and held her hair out of the way until her heaving stomach settled again…

After what felt like many minutes the gagging finally stopped and only the piteous gasping for air remained… Wordlessly he handed her a piece of cloth and one of the waterskins, unsure where he should look… at her deathly pale face with the reddened eyes and the snot from her nose? Or away, stupidly pretending that he couldn't see her pathetic state? Both seemed idiotic…

"Thanks…" she gulped, her voice raw and congested, before wiping her face and taking a mouthful of water, which she swallowed very slowly and with the concentrated and mildly disgusted look of someone who isn't all that sure whether what went down actually stayed down. She closed her eyes and waited while he still held her hair like a dolt, not knowing what to do with his hands.

"Right." Zelda finally said, gave him a brittle smile, her skin still pale and her cheeks slightly gaunt. "I'm ready. Let's go on."

"Err… right…" he muttered as she gently took her golden strands from him to quickly braid them into a more manageable form. "Are you sure?"

He knew it was a stupid question as soon as it had left his lips, but she didn't take it the wrong way. Instead she cocked her head and showed a very lopsided grin. "Nothing left in there… Now's the ideal time!" she grumbled, delicately patting her belly.

He gave a relieved laugh and slowly shook his head as he gazed into her red-rimmed, sky-blue eyes. No end to the fascination…

"Right…" he repeated with a sad smile. "After me, then."

Slowly and with every muscle fibre tensed in nervous anticipation, they made their way back down. Link tried to take only tiny breaths, hoping he could gauge the exact layer where the overpowering stench began.

As they slowly crept closer, he thought he saw something interesting… and disturbing. "Look there!" he bade her, pointing to a line in the wood, almost invisible in the gloom. "Doesn't the bark from this point down look rather… decomposed?"

It was true… There was a nearly clear horizontal cut, below which the usually dry wood looked mushy and unsettlingly corroded. Zelda followed it with increasingly upset eyes, then gazed questioningly at him. "Acidic gas?"

"Hmm… not sure…" he mumbled, bending down and gingerly touching the strangely puffy ligneous matter. It did indeed feel moist and slimy, as if the very structure of it had been attacked. He let his hand remain below the odd layer for a while, then scrunched up his face. "Yep, the funk is there all right…" he gasped, fighting once again to keep his insides where they belonged as he stood back up.

Zelda quickly grasped his hand to inspect it. "It doesn't hurt though… I didn't feel it burn my eyes or nose either…" he added quickly when he saw her concerned look.

"Right…" she muttered, pondering. "But this horrid fetidness does seem to attack the Tree's substance… And I'm worried whether there's enough oxygen to breathe down there… Maybe we can light a candle and see if it goes out?" she asked him with a quizzical expression.

He shook his head, sadly. "Wouldn't work. That's more of an urban legend than an actual help… Sure, the flame would be snuffed, if there's not enough oxygen, but only long after us… Around Ord almost everyone makes cider or wine from the apples they harvest around this time and hardly a single year passes without someone being found in their own cellar with a fully burnt down, traitorous candle lying next to them."

"Oh…" she exclaimed, looking almost shocked. "I didn't know…"

"Still, there's a way to find out… but I'm not looking forward to it…" he sighed. Then, before she could do anything, he took a few quick steps into where the gas supposedly hung menacingly, turned back around, pinched his nose, took a big gulp of air and sprinted back out.

She made an involuntary squeak, half startled, half outraged and bodily pulled him further up and out of danger. He still held his breath, nose pinched and cheeks puffed out. After a few long seconds where she jittered about him nervously, he shook his head. "The taste is profoundly disgusting… but other than that, I feel neither faint nor nauseated nor pained." he explained calmly, then exhaled the rest.

"You… argh! You could have warned me, you dolt!" she fumed, her cheeks flushed in anger and she pinched him quite viciously at his belly.

"Ow! Yes, I know, dumpling. But you would have disagreed and I would have done it anyway. Less time wasted!" he explained, showing his most adorable, ingratiating smile. She glared at him as if her gaze alone could boil him alive. He knew he was teetering precariously on the edge of what he could get away with, but he just couldn't let any more time go to by unused. Besides… even in this circumstance, it still was dangerously fun.

After being faced with his well-practiced angelic puppy eyes for a couple of moments, she gave a heavy sigh, her ire somewhat dispelled. "You, sir, are a jackass. Don't do something like that any more, please…" she asked of him, half imploring, half threatening.

Great, he thought. Now she has countered my puppy-stare with hers… No contest!… and he felt like a bit of a bastard… Thankfully she was far too understanding of the situation they were in to try and coax any sort of promise from him. She knew it would only be a hollow one. There could be innumerable unforeseeable circumstances that might force him to break such a vow immediately… He knew it and she knew it too…

"Anyway…" she continued, breaking their eye-contact, much to his regret. She bent down and took two pieces of cloth from her backpack, then rummaged further until she found a small, corked vial, no bigger than two of her fingers. Swiftly but delicately, she opened it and poured a few drops on both cloths, then handed him one. "

He took a second, but then understood and grinned. Following her example, he bound it around his head so he breathed in through the dribbled on spot. "What is it? It actually stings in my nose…" he asked, trying to identify the underlying smell.

"I should thing so. It's highly distilled Safflina extract… a few drops will keep you warm in a cold night but it also has a pretty strong and pleasant scent. It should help us gag a little less…" she added, gazing hopefully at the re-corked flask.

"Very nice idea!" he applauded genuinely. "Keep that flask handy, in case we need more…"

"Right… but we shouldn't rely on it too much, else we will get drunk…" she brought up, half in jest.

Now well-equipped for all olfactory combat, they proceeded further down. Zelda's idea was of invaluable help but the reek was nonetheless strong enough to drive tears to their eyes and choke them on their first reluctant breaths.

Their careful steps made a sickly squishing sound on the partially decomposed wood… it made Link's skin crawl at how his feet sank in a few millimetres when they should have been met with a solid, trusty surface…

They reached the end of the winding ramp and yet another of the heavy, round doors… only this one seemed to have gotten stuck during opening. Only an about 30 centimetre high gap led to the next hall and the wood all around seemed just as violated and corroded as the rest. It almost looked as if… they gazed at each other and understood wordlessly… It looked as if the Deku Tree had lust the absolute last speck of power to open this gate, but it hadn't been enough…

He could see Zelda swallow, pale once again due to the horrific malodour… though he had little doubt that he looked just as pallid as she. Slim as they both were, they could slip through the crack with relative ease, but the idea of scraping over the grossly squelching, decomposing wood was none too pleasant.

Link bent down, trying not to touch anything even though he realized it was foolish. He couldn't see much through the narrow opening… A round-ish, wooden, hip-high wall rose a metre into the room. He couldn't see over the rim, but he had a feeling it was some sort of a basin or pool… he could also, just barely, make out roots going towards the high ceiling…

"If I'm not completely disoriented, this should be right below the Tree's heart…" he whispered over his shoulder after he had detailed his findings to his 'lovely assistant'. She nodded, wisely choosing not to speak… he could almost sense how her stomach must roil and twist just by looking into her wide eyes…

"I'll go first… follow only when I tell you!" he commanded and, reluctantly, lay down flat on his stomach and crawled through. He tried his best to ignore the sticky, wet squelching as he felt the moistness all over his skin and had to resist an almost imperative urge to rip his clothes from his body once he stood back up.

He had guessed correctly… the room was almost as big in diameter as the one above and was dominated in the middle by a wide pool of completely still water… four long roots, thick as Ricco's arm, twisted their way down from the ceiling and broke the pool's surface… strangely, he couldn't quite see how deep the water or the roots went, despite it being quite clear… The constricting fetidness was here as well, though mitigated a bit by the pure liquid that had somehow been left unspoilt… But the eerie, unnatural silence dominated here as well…

"Come through! Here…" he ordered in a hushed tone, and offered his hand so he could pull her through as quickly as possible.

Zelda too rose to her feet with an expression of profound disgust. The look she gave the soiled clothes on her body spoke rather clearly of cleansing by fire, rather than water…

The room was even gloomier than the corridor, which had still benefited from the big shaft of light in the main chamber… but the strange pool, mysteriously, seemed to shed a very faint bluish glow… just enough so both their eyes could, once adapted, see clearly enough. Other than the aforementioned roots that wound their way from the ceiling into the water, there was only yet another doorway on the opposite side of the room… This one, however, was closed.

"Why do you think… the Tree wanted us down here?" Zelda gulped, still suffering form her distressed insides.

"We must be able to… I don't know… fix something, or…" he trailed off, gazing around, squinting.

Slowly he started to walk around the rim of the pool, occasionally gazing into it. He now saw that, apparently, the roots were splitting off the main trunks as soon as they dipped below the surface and had formed a dense network at a depth of about one metre.

A sudden, sharp hiss cut through the silence, causing them both to gasp. A fine tuft of smoke rose from one single point within the pool, just below one of the main radices… He looked closer, gazing intently at it, scrutinizing every inch as best he could from where he stood… then felt his skin go cold. "It's cut!" he breathed in sudden horror. "They all are!"

"There's something smeared across it!" Zelda squeaked, pointing at the closest spot. To his dismay, he could see that she was right… a viscous looking, dark green substance was slathered all around where the root was maimed, essentially forming a vile glob around the narrow split. A tiny droplet fell off and as it hit the water's surface, it made the strange hissing sound they had heard not a minute earlier.

"It's ruining them! They can't heal!" Link cried as a sudden panic took hold over him. It was as if something in his very core was filled with utter, delirious horror at seeing the Tree tortured like this… The incredibly faint remnants of this past life that felt so strongly about this place… his emotions were still strong enough to send his heart into a mindless turmoil. He vaulted over the hip high rim into the water and treaded through it as fast as he possibly could over the treacherously slippery roots. His mind registered how icy it was, but he couldn't even feel it. It didn't matter! He simply had to help the Deku Tree, make it so He could heal!

He reached the root and, in blind fright, tried to wipe the offensive sludge away with his hand. The wetness on it hissed and instantly turned boiling hot, making him scream in pain and dunk his palm back under water.

"Here!" he heard Zelda's voice and saw her ball up the cloth she had had around her face to throw it at him. He cursed himself for his lack of sense, as he could have used his own, which wouldn't have robbed her of her protection from the stench, but, gritting his teeth, he caught the piece of fabric, and tried to wipe the gooey substance away.

The cloth started to smoke almost at once and try as he might, the viscous filth wouldn't let itself be cleaned off… it almost seemed as if it hardened whenever he came near… almost as if it had a mind of its own…

The heat on his hands became nearly unbearable, but he didn't stop trying, he couldn't! Looking around in rising panic, he had to find something, there had to be something that could…

"Link!" Zelda's shrill yell resounded through the hall, alarming every cell in his body. His head snapped around to see her recoiling in fear from something next to the basin. To his dismay he saw a large amorphous mass forming seemingly out of nowhere and growing at a frightening rate. His eyes widened and his breath caught… It was the same colour as the sludge on the roots… mostly…

The now man-sized, slightly bubbling mass had, floating within it, dark writhing tendrils of almost utter blackness, except for an occasional dark red shimmer… with a sudden, dreadful realization he understood where he had smelled that awful stench before… fighting that abominable boar in the woods that had been infested with this very substance, reeking of evil…

The repellent blob, waving and pulsing in a simply perverse way, finally stopped growing… and with a nauseating squelch began sliding towards Zelda.

The root forgotten immediately, Link rushed back through the water, half slipping with every hasty step, cursing his lack of speed. Thankfully, she had managed to shake her stunned stupor and ran towards the door which… Link's heart fell… The low slit they had crawled through was gone, pasted shut with the same, filthy green substance.

Zelda realized a moment after… even through his loud splashing he could hear her distraught, whispered "No!". She hammered against the mercilessly unmoving door with her fists, screaming "Open! Please help us! _Open_!" but he knew it was futile… If the Great Deku Tree could have helped, he would already have done so…

Ever closer the terrifying mass drew, leaving a steaming, scorched looking trail in the wood… She stared at it, her eyes torn open in abject horror as she tried to kick at the goop barring their way out.

Finally, he reached the rim, yanked himself over it and, in one motion, threw a handful of water at the unnatural creature. The few drops hit it perfectly… and exploded into a boiling cloud of steam and hot droplets that fired in every direction. Only the few metres they still had between themselves and their enemy saved them from severe burns, but the heat of the steam was enough to force them to recoil and shield their faces.

The formless but increasingly agitated looking body of liquid had almost reached the door… Link turned and bodily pulled Zelda away from her senseless efforts, basically carrying until they had distanced themselves again. The room was round, with the basin in the middle… they could avoid it by just running away… but they couldn't get out… and this thing didn't look as if it would ever tire…

"Always stay behind me. Think what we could try!" he commanded when he sat her down. Not waiting for an answer he turned back towards it. Had its ponderous speed increased or was it his imagination? Dear goddess above, he hoped it was…

But the deities, as usual, didn't answer his prayers. After a few seconds of him slowly drawing back with his shield raised, he noticed he had already quickened his steps to keep the same distance. He gritted his teeth… What could he do?! Soon they would have to run to continue avoiding it! And then?!

In a desperate attempt he shot forward, took a single horizontal swipe with his sword, flinging a few laughable drops of vile goo into the water… useless. He was about to jump back when, with frightening speed, a part of it bulged out and immediately enveloped his shield. With a startled gasp he tried to tear it free, but it hardly budged a centimetre. The wood around his arm darkened, as if it were burned as it was, with a jarring lurch pulled deeper into the roiling mass, the stuff already crawling towards his hand. With a horrified yelp he pulled his arm free, but the back of his was streaked by one of the dozens of tendrils that tried to pull him in.

The pain sent white streaks across his vision and he cried out piercingly as he finally bolted back.

"Link!" her voice resounded, appalled by his shriek.

"Stay back!" he shouted through gritted teeth as he dunked his hand into the water without thinking. A flash of heat coursed over his skin, but only briefly… only the tiniest trace of the slime had remained on his hand, thankfully.

Still shocked, he saw his trusty shield float around the monster's inside, then crumple and vanish within seconds. A gloopy, wet smacking sound came from the disgusting thing and, after a moment, it once again began advancing.

The cold water had made the pain bearable, but just barely. He still winced and couldn't stop himself from hissing as he pulled it out. A single streak of furiously red flesh, about five centimetres in length where the flesh on the back of his right hand had been seared… Her soft, trembling hand shot out from behind him to pull it so she could see, then shuddered back when she did. "Oh no…" he heard her breathe. He could still move his fingers at least, though the pulling on his skin burned like hell.

Thankfully, it hadn't completely been for nothing… If water didn't help…

"Zelda, give me the flask of Safflina and find a flint in the pack. Quick!" he barked and to her immense credit, with hardly a second of delay she had refocused her attention to the task at hand.

"Hm!" she uttered her understanding and immediately proffered the little vial. Thankfully, she had done as he had said and had kept it close at hand… He could already hear her rummage around while he focused on the inconceivable enemy in front, which was once more speeding up. He uncorked the bottle and poured the entire content on both sides of his blade, letting the thin, oily substance run down most of its length. His breath ran quickly and his heart beat furiously, but his hands, at least, were calm… Hopefully this would work!

Every second felt like a year and Link hoped he wouldn't have to dart back closer to slow it down again…

"I have it! Here!" she finally exclaimed and he took the flint from her shivering fingers.

"Stand back!" he ordered, waited until he had heard her take a step back, then with one hard blow he struck the igneous rock against his steel.

The alcohol ignited quickly like a raging wildfire, bathing the entire room in an orange light and bathing it in a stark heat. Zelda gasped behind him and he could hear her go through her pack for more… bright as ever!

The amorphous monster on the other hand wobbled and waved on its surface, even more violently than before, but most important of all… it abruptly stopped!

A fierce, nasty grin emerged on Link's face and he balled his right fist, taking in the sharp pain.

"Fire with fire…" he growled and dashed forward. With an enormous, rage-filled roar he slashed across the vile creature, once, twice, thrice in a matter of half a second. The whole thing burst into flame as he hopped back, writhing and billowing and bulging. An ear-piercingly shrill whistle blasted around the hall as black smoke erupted from it and the dark, sinister tendrils within writhed and jittered as the filth around it boiled. The stench became nearly unbearable as the flames licked higher and higher. Then finally, with a low bubbling sound, the whole blob collapsed and was consumed by the fire until nothing remained.

"Link, look!" Zelda's hand shot out towards the defiled roots and to his surprise, he could see the sludge at the wounded parts falling off as if it was being melted. When the abomination had finally been vaporised, the roots, too were once again clean.

"There!" she whispered and, following her finger, he saw a tiny green light, the size of a firefly, slowly make its way from where the closest root vanished into the ceiling all the way to the cut. With a crackle of magic, it flared brighter and slowly continued, bridging the gap. Once it had reached the lower part, it fizzled out… and left a small, finger-thick connection of a green, twig-like sprout.

"Hanging on by a thread…" he muttered to himself, both relief and sorrow battling for dominance in his mind.

"Hm." she confirmed, her hand softly squeezing his left. "But we succeeded! For now…"

They stared in awe at the new little strand of life for a minute, their nerves slowly calming.

"Your hand!" Zelda suddenly shouted, making him jump.

"Oh… right…" he mumbled, lifting his right to have a look. It looked dreadful… a thin streak of fiery red skin that looked almost boiled off…

"How bad is it?" she asked, her voice high and agitated. She gently guided it once more into the pool of water, which, oddly, really got the pain going again.

"It's… still stinging…" he pressed out, unable to stop himself from wincing. "But it's already far better than in the first few seconds. In fact, I…"

"Shh!" she shushed him. Confused, he looked at her face…

She had her eyes closed, her expression tense and focused… her hands were warm in the surrounding icy water…

"This pool… this water… There is… something…" she muttered cryptically. With a trembling palm she, extremely carefully, placed the fingers of her right on his wound, eliciting another flash of bright pain, which he fought through with a strained sigh.

Nothing happened for many seconds… He watched her face, her eyes pressing shut and easing up, her jaw tensing and relaxing every few moments. He didn't want to interrupt her… he understood what she was trying to do…

That power that she had… That power he had already experienced… it tortured her that she still had no control over it, when, according to Impa's explanation, it would be needed to combat the ultimate evil… He had come to avoid talking about it as much as possible, as her inability to coax even a tiny spark from her palm continued to enhance her feelings of inadequacy, which led to her being even more anxious about it…

Her fingers pressed harder, causing him to gasp involuntarily.

"Sorry!" she cried out, her wonderful eyes now open wide, scared, and tears of sorrow and shame forming in them. "I… I can't do it!" she whispered, biting on her own lip so hard he was afraid she was going to draw blood. "There's so much life in this water, so much… magic… but I can't… I can't…" she sobbed, but he quickly dropped the sword he had still held, cupped her cheek and tenderly kissed her before she could utter any more nonsense.

"It's alright. Don't beat yourself up, don't panic. Take your time. What do you wish to do?" he asked calmly, trying to ignore the burning smart in his hand.

"I… this water is so… if you irrigated a field with it, you would have ten times the harvest in half the time… it is… the sacred water of the Tree, His nourishment, it's… there is so much… energy…" she babbled, her eyes once again closed.

"How does it look?" he interjected.

"I… what?" her brow furrowed.

"What colour does it have? The energy?"

"I don't… I don't think…" she uttered, puzzled.

"Visualize it. In your mind, bring it into a form you can understand… think it, feel it… then tell it your will…" They had tried this way before, but… for some reason he felt like it just might work… right now, in this situation.

She swallowed, her face scrunched up. His left hand still gently caressed her cheek. "I'm trying…" she groaned, her voice exerted.

"Shh… don't talk. …You're beautiful even if you make _that_ face, do you know that?" he quickly said, staking everything on one card.

"I… huh?" Her eyes opened, her gaze holding utmost confusion... He knew that befuddlement would erupt into Din knows what other emotion in less than an instant, he had to use it!

"Now heal me!" he barked quickly, utilizing her moment of complete baffled thoughtlessness and pointing imperiously at his hand, so her wide eyed gaze automatically followed.

"I…"

A miniscule, short pulse of Light emerged, like a matchstick that was set alight and immediately snuffed.

Startled, both he and she jerked their hands back, looking at them in sudden bewilderment.

Link stared at the back of his right, and his mouth fell open. Where a minute ago had been a dreadful red laceration, there were now some peculiar marks… four to be exact… the size of delicate, feminine fingertips… The wound wasn't gone, but where her digits had been, his skin looked like it had had days to mend and the surrounding area looked far better too… Most important of all, there was hardly any pain left… little more than an itch.

He beamed at her, who stood stock still and looked deeply frightened. "You did it! Look!" he yelled in exultation and proffered his hand proudly. "You did it! You healed it!"

"I… I…" she stammered, gingerly taking his hand in hers as if afraid it was all an illusion.

"It happens when no other thought is impeding you… When your only concern is helping, I think! That's why it's so bloody difficult for you… because you are fretting about ten things at once!" he explained, a very serious component in his little jest.

She was silent, staring intently at his hand for nearly a minute... then a speechless little smile tugged at the corners of her mouth until it had formed into a broad, genuine, delighted grin. "I… I did…" she breathed as an uncontrollable giggle bubbled from her. Ever so gently she placed her fingers on the 4 spots she had cured and laughed happily when they aligned perfectly. Then, completely unbidden, a shadow soured her glorious smile. "I didn't heal you completely…" she mumbled lowly.

With an exasperated sigh, Link snuck his left hand forward, grabbed her chin and forced her to look at him. "Now listen here, you! If you say something that stupid one more time, I'm going to knock you upside your head, I swear by Nayru's sacred wisdom inducing noogie! You did it, you little fool! We found a way! We got a huge step closer! Now we continue until you can do it without thought. Simple!" he detailed with a wide grin and boldly kissed her, nipping all her silly, self-doubting replies in the bud.

* * *

 **My free time is currently down to zero… sorry for the delays. One out of five of our team has fallen ill, so we remaining four can shoulder his night shifts too... joy!  
**

 **Also: Damn, writing temples is hard… Can't really do the classical puzzles and riddles… they'd either be impossible to describe without getting confusing, or they'd just be uninteresting, I fear… Thoughts on how I might improve it?**

 **Last question: Do you think I should go back and give all the chapters proper titles? Was kinda toying with the idea for weeks now...**


	51. The Deku Tree Temple: Part 2

The Deku Tree Temple: Part 2

Link

Of course she had insisted on still bandaging his hand… he didn't know why he had even been surprised… or why he had bothered trying to argue…

Still, it were a precious few minutes he had spent with her, despite his conviction that no further care was needed. Watching her elegant fingers work always had something calming, mesmerizing… and right now, hearing her chatter excitedly about how that light had felt on her fingertips, what mental image she had conjured, how she had sensed something warm and gentle and powerful inside her chest… feeling her anxiety drain a bit with each word and relief begin to settle in… it made him feel so profoundly happy he had to hold back tears of joy and affection.

It was a moment of respite after a harrowing experience… a worthy reward for victory, just being touched by her sweet hands and listening to her voice… He didn't know whether she realized how utterly, stupidly lovestruck he stared at her adorably spirited face and he didn't really care…

Of course, the moment was all too short and their work was far from done.

Link gazed at their surroundings, a grin forming tentatively on his face. They had, of course, fled from the site of their battle and its terrible stench… it had dissipated somewhat after the destruction of the monstrosity, but it had nevertheless soiled the wood of the basin-chamber beyond repair…

After their trek back upstairs, they had been met with a pleasant surprise. The intangible sphere of purifying aura around the heart of the Tree had returned… smaller now, and feeling even more frail as it battled the air of decay that had forced its way in… but still, it was a sign most welcome. They couldn't have wished for a better place to have their precious minute of peace… though the Tree's dead branches and the many fallen leaves still filled Link's heart with gnawing sadness…

Shouldn't the Great Deku Tree be able to gradually restore itself, now that His connection to the earth had been restored? Was there more they should have done? Or did it simply take a long time? Would they first have to expel the malign presence from the temple, before He could recuperate? Yes, that had to be it!

He tried moving his wrist when Zelda had finished with her bandage and grinned. It was solid work, tight enough to keep the wound with her healing salve on it securely protected without robbing him of his mobility.

"How is it?" she asked timidly, glancing back and forth between her handiwork and his face.

"Pretty professional. I hardly feel a thing!" he assured her. Then he turned serious again. "We should keep moving… I fear we have only bought some time…" He stopped himself. An idea had struck him. "Do you think you could… try to commune with Him once more? Maybe through His dormancy, he cannot speak with us directly…" he mused.

She seemed to think very carefully. "I… think it has to be you…" she stated softly at last.

"Me?" he questioned. "But I don't…"

"You seem to have a far deeper connection to the Deku Tree than I." she interrupted. "I think that, whatever He wishes to convey, if anything, it would be meant for you!"

He mulled it over, thinking how strongly his emotions had been influenced when first he entered this room. He felt uneasy… The thought of some past self breaking through the surface and taking over his conscious frightened him. But then again… even though they had not, strictly speaking, been his very own, the emotions and sensations had been of the purest kind… They had felt his own, even though they were not.

"What… how do I…" She took his left hand in hers and gently placed its palm against the soft soil. Still feeling a bit worried in his gut but trusting her judgement, he closed his eyes and tried hard to focus more on the feel of the earth between his fingers and less on her warm hand on his.

"Concentrate on the ground, Link…" she reminded, as if she had read his thoughts.

The corners of his mouth twitched treacherously, and he was very tempted to-

 _Link… you have come…_

He very nearly jerked his palm away, if not for Zelda wisely holding him in place. A voice humming in his innermost being, deeper even than his thoughts… ancient and eerily familiar…

 _Link… the ancient evil… the Lord of all terror and destruction… is awakening…_

Even though it was still like the faintest whisper of the softest breeze, he could do nothing but listen before its grandness…

 _His cursed servant is perched up above within these halls… I beg of you, Link… cast out this presence… or the rise of the dragons, the harbingers that would bring end to chaos, shall ne'er come to pass…_

The peculiar, intangible contact ceased, leaving him flustered and… strangely lonely…

"Farore's mercy!..." he gasped, finally pulling his hand from the ground. It tingled as if he'd just touched an electric keese! "Did you… hear?" he asked for lack of a better word.

She shook her head. "No. I felt you tense up… I sensed something passing between you and… somewhere… but I was shut out."

He told her the things he had… felt, rather than heard. Her thoughts lined her face as she repackaged all her tools and dressings. "The harbingers… bring end to chaos…" she muttered to herself. She gazed back up at him, her brow furrowed, biting on her lip. "Something about that…"

"…rubs you wrong?" he finished, to which she slowly nodded. He mulled it over, thought about the way the Tree had said it… Hard to judge with only a disembodied talking without real inflections in your brain…

"Let's think about it later, hm?" he suggested, standing up. "Maybe He himself can shed some light into it, once we have 'cast out this presence'!" he intoned dramatically, making his voice sound deep.

"Let us hope so… I am more than ready for a little bit of insight!" She too stood up and was eager to move on. He couldn't suppress an adoring grin as he marvelled at her dauntlessness in the face of all the direness they had encountered today alone, both friendly, monstrous and olfactory. She shot back a little smile of her own, the brief, jaunty boldness in her expression invigorating his spirits as if by magic.

Wresting himself from his admiring trance, he strapped his sword back where it belonged. He almost reached for his shield, but remembered just in time that his trusty defence had perished in the vile bowels of that horror down there. A strange, sharp sadness gripped his soul. That annoying, unwieldy piece of wood had been with him since the beginning of his journey… he couldn't possibly say how often he had cursed it for being so heavy or for hitting some part of his body against its hard rim… or how many times it had made him feel protected behind its well-crafted curve… He nearly had to laugh out loud at how emotional its loss made him feel as he flexed his now useless right hand.

Soft, delicate fingers snaked their way between his and squeezed "Hm?" she asked wordlessly, understanding in her sky-blue eyes.

"Nothing…" he shook his head. "I'm just being silly…"

She chuckled softly as she gently pulled him away from the Tree. "I once cried for a whole night because that one hag of a governess took away my favourite rock…" she recounted, staring off into memory. When she looked back, she blushed ever so slightly at his expression, which seemed to ever so slightly question her sanity.

"What?!" she asked defensively.

"Your favourite… rock…" he pronounced very carefully, as if talking to a madwoman.

"Yes! I was six!" she blustered. "It was sparkly… a chunk of pyrite, I believe. I found it when our carriage broke down… It was one of the only times I was even allowed to leave the bloody thing and run about…" A noticeable tone of resentment now carried her voice. Her hand in his subconsciously squeezed harder. "That is, I wasn't permitted to do so, of course. I simply ran away… a bit, at least… to feel wind and sun on my skin…" She sighed. "Didn't take them long to find me, naturally. Still, long enough for me to completely ruin my dress with dirt and tears because I had climbed onto a big rock. Goodness, the maids were in _upheaval_! I remember wondering back then, whether these hens would have even made such a fuss if I had broken my neck but had kept the dress whole… Anyway… On the rock I found the stone, small enough to fit it in my palm… and to hide it in my… you know… undergarments…" she giggled slightly at his perplexed but appreciative nod.

"I kept it hidden for the entire remainder of the journey, only taking it out at night, where it would even sparkle in the moonlight… Then, back at Hyrule Castle, that old dragon found it between my clothes and, despite my begging her, threw it out for being 'dirty'…" The nasty, wrathful way she uttered the last word made goosebumps rise on his skin… and the immense, uncaring injustice of it all actually made his belly tense with anger. The thought of tiny, six year old Zelda, distraught that her one memento of a tiny moment of freedom was so callously taken from her…

They had walked slowly, both loath to leave the soothing influence of the Tree. At the edge of the circular runlet he stopped, his emotions now in even greater turmoil.

"I'm sorry..." she mumbled, giving him a quick peck on the lips and looking genuinely conscience-stricken. "I don't even remember why I spoke of this… it just bubbled up…"

"That was not a very pleasant story…" he agreed, raising her hand to kiss her fingers.

She carried out a resigned shrug-nod. "Sadly, I don't have too many of those…" she sighed. He didn't know how to answer. Even though he desperately wanted to find consolatory words, they just wouldn't come, his throat stricken with sympathy for this magnificent angel who deserved so much better…

"Let's move on…" she suggested with a brave, wry smile. "Now that I have successfully murdered the mood, what else is there to fear?"

He smirked, kissed her forehead while mentally preparing himself to leave the frail bubble of comfort and be tossed back into the heartless reality.

The first thing they noticed as they stepped over the rivulet was the oppressive silence… as if the thick, heavy, foul air didn't carry sound as well… When they had entered the Tree's purifying aura ten minutes ago, they had been startled initially at how clear everything seemed after they had gotten used to the muffled atmosphere outside… They had nearly whispered for the first two minutes, as normal speech had seemed terribly loud… Now it was the exact opposite, everything was dull and slow, as if they had thick cotton swabs in their ears…

Yet still…

That flapping of wings he had heard earlier… Link's gaze darted upwards, back and forth as he tried his hardest to maybe catch a tiny glimpse at whatever seemed to make that sound… a sound that was so faint he was never sure whether he actually heard it or whether it was a figment of his overtaxed mind. But the mist would not be pierced, no matter how sharp his eyes were…

Even the light filtering in through the strange, impossible slit in the wood, which had seemed so bright and pleasant when they still sat on the hill, was now feeble and dirty… Not for the first time Link wondered whether reality was forced through a filter of decay here... or, even more disturbing, whether the proximity of the Deku Tree's heart actually applied such an alteration, only in the other way… which would mean that these filthy, rotten surroundings were the real, the true reality…

"Goddess above…" Zelda gagged beside him. "I had hoped the smell would be better now…"

He gave a meek, agreeing nod. "So did I… It is, I think… a bit…"

"Marginally, maybe… Did you really have to waste my expensive Safflina essence on such frivolous things as lighting a bilious daemon from hell on fire?!" she asked with perfectly executed petulant ire. Thankfully, he knew her well enough to realize she was just playing.

"To my defence, I was weighing my options. It was either that or throw you into the Chu's belly… I'm sure it would have recognized you as kin and would have left us alone…" he mused, scratching his chin… and bracing himself for impact.

"Funny! I was thinking along similar lines… given how utterly, scurrilously base you are, my dear, and given it's acidity, you two might have simply cancelled each other out and I would have not one, but two problems off my back!" she shot back instantly, her voice as sweet as syrup.

Link had to giggle and nod appreciatively at her scathing wordplay and seeing how it made her grin with delighted pride, he decided to let her have this round.

The began ascending the winding slope, upward this time. The surface was uneven, with the occasional root or bulb jutting out, so they had to be aware of their footing. At least the wood here was dry and normal… no half-digested sludge offending his fingers as he touched the Tree's wall.

"What did you call that thing again?" Zelda asked after a while, cocking a curious eyebrow.

"Hm? Oh… a Chu… I'm pretty sure that's what it was… Or I can imagine that's what a Chu would look like, at least…" he answered a little disjointedly.

"Hmmm…" she thought about it, chewing on the inside of her cheek… something she always did when she pondered about something… It's funny how you begin to notice these things when you observe someone long enough… especially if it's someone you could simply watch day in day out without ever getting tired of it… He still had the feeling he had only skimmed over the true extent of her beauty…

"Funny… I don't think I have ever heard of such a monster…" she finally admitted.

"I'm not too surprised… As far as I know, they are more of a folktale… Or miner-tale, to be exact. Creatures of the deep, vegetating without ever a glimpse of light… One wrong swing of your pickaxe and it's coming out of the walls to eat you… the kind of story you tell a new boy to get him scared while the older men laugh into their beards. Except…"

"…as is often the case, a speck of truth is behind it." She finished for him, shivering. "Chu…" she let the word roll off her tongue. "It doesn't do it justice… not in the slightest… Why would such a creature be… here, then? So close to the surface?"

"I do not know…" he admitted, shaking his head. "Why are there suddenly more monster attacks in the last weeks than in the ten years before? Why are there more and more sightings of unnatural fiends roaming the fields? And why does no-one have the confidence to discount such tales as nonsense, as they usually would? I'm afraid, the answer to all of these is… well…" he trailed off meekly.

Zelda only nodded… she understood…

They had passed almost two full turns around the enormous cylindrical room and were now about 50 metres up. The Tree's heart had almost completely faded into the all encompassing mist… only the uppermost branches were still visible… and there was still no ceiling in sight. The air seemed a tiny bit less heavy here, which was good… however, the ominous flapping sound now reached his ears more often, but whenever he tried to actively listen for it, there was nothing but silence. It was getting him more and more uneasy… as if whatever was behind it was fully aware of him… and waiting…

"Link, look!" She was pointing upwards and across the hall.

"Well, finally… I was getting dizzy…" he joked dryly. Another half turn up was what seemed to be a wooden platform sticking further out towards the middle. A few steps further and they could see that a door, same in design as the others, led from the great hall through the bark. Their pace quickened, eager to escape the monotony of the spiral climb… and was halted abruptly when they saw the nearly two metre wide gap between the ramp and the platform. They looked at each other, both uneasy. Objectively, the distance was jumpable with relative ease… but seeing that a tiny mishap could lead to a long fall and an almost certainly very final stop made the prospect of attempting it seem very unattractive.

Another thought seemed to plague Zelda's mind. "Why would there be such a gap here? It doesn't look broken off…" she muttered, clearly annoyed as she let her hand brush over the edge of the ramp. "There must be a reason…"

"Maybe the reason is simply that the children of the forest seem to be rather impervious to gravity…" Link remarked with an equally unhappy frown. "Think of our little acquaintance in those enchanted woods… To Maca this wouldn't even be worth a thought…"

She growled unintelligibly as she had no better explanation.

"Nothing for it, I'm afraid, my grumbling dumpling." he sang with a wry grin. "I don't think it is our destiny in this conflict of good versus evil to be deterred by poor interior design. I go first, then I'll catch you, if necessary!"

She gave a hesitant nod, he clenched jaw speaking of her nervousness. He understood her completely… were they just a metre off the ground, he too wouldn't think twice about such an easy jump… but after having just climbed a long, long way up, the thought of taking the express route all the way down tied his stomach to a knot.

He took a couple of steps back, did a last quick calculation about the jump and tried to ban any thought about falling short or overshooting the target from his brain.

3-2-1-Go! He stormed off, his muscles flexed for a jump when he suddenly remembered that he really should have taken off his backpack… His heart raced, but it was already too late. He catapulted himself off… time froze for a moment, making him think, just for one tiny moment, that he didn't have enough speed… then landed perfectly on the other side. He took a brief second to gaze around, wide eyed, making sure he had actually made it… then congratulated himself silently for his dexterity… and his stupidity.

Zelda, all the while, had both her fists pressed firmly against her mouth, holding her breath in silent hoping, her body so tense she seemed ready to twang like a bow-string. He raised his hands in a silent shrug, giving her a victorious smile… and downplayed his own anxiety substantially. Wouldn't do to show her just how bloody afraid he had just been over a tiny hop like this, would it? Not very manly…

"Erm… throw me your backpack before you try, would you dumpling?" he suggested in a consciously steady voice.

"Err… right!" she answered, looking a tiny bit flustered. She stepped close to the edge, made sure she had good footing and dexterously tossed her stuff over to him.

"Good… now throw yourself, would you? Preferably into my arms!" he joked, but made very sure he stood stably to both catch her in case she fell and to stop her, should she jump too far… The platform wasn't too narrow, but if you stumbled while trying to land… "I'm ready. I'll catch you no matter what." he promised with an encouraging smile.

She looked hard into his eyes, swallowed, then nodded. Taking the same running start, she launched herself off with a strained hiss… and landed excellently right in front of him. She wouldn't even have needed him… He hugged her anyway… half to hide his relief and half just because…

"Not too bad, huh?" she exulted, smiling her proud, radiant smile, her cheeks flush, her eyes alive with excitement. Goddess above, how he loved her spirit!

He couldn't help but share her elation, if only for a brief moment.

The shadow of movement in the corner of his eyes made him spin around, searching fervently for something to fix his gaze on.

"Wha…" she began, startled by his sudden move, but stopped when he raised his hand.

His brow furrowed and his muscles tensed. He knew he was looking at something… he sensed it… he just didn't see it! A muffled, but eerily close flapping came from the other side, forcing his eyes on a wild dance back and forth. Suddenly, standing on a borderless, dreadfully high platform, he felt terribly exposed.

"To the door…" he commanded quietly as he softly pushed her toward it. He stepped backwards, not daring to take his gaze… off of the nothing he could see. In a fluid motion he grabbed his bow from his back.

"I feel… something… tiny… hidden…" she breathed… they were still a couple of steps away from the closed gate… He hoped it would open like the others…

A sudden flurry of wing-flaps from his right startled him so much he nearly dropped his bow. It was close… and fearsomely fast!

He twisted around, aiming an arrow at nothing… and felt a miniscule breeze waft past his face... He reflexively jerked away and just barely heard another tiny flutter… from the other side!

At the very last possible moment he raised his shoulder and ducked his head… and an instant later felt a sharp pain in his arm as vicious teeth dug into his flesh where a moment before his eye would have been.

With an angry hiss he swiped at his shoulder with hectic speed, feeling something warm, bony and leathery skittering around. It gave a shrill, enraged shriek as he batted it away, but he still couldn't see it! He heard it flap twice, then it once again faded from his perception.

Behind him he heard Zelda brushing hastily over the symbol… it would be another two or three seconds until they could rush through… but whatever was attacking them could easily follow!

Once more, his ears alerted him to something, this time from the left. He drew his bow and shot at the noise, but either it evaded or he was simply off, as he hit only air.

Nevertheless, he had learned… and immediately ducked down. He felt disgustingly leathery wings brush over the back of his head and thought he heard a tiny screech of frustration.

He stood back up, nocking another arrow. These things were lightning quick… they could pester them wherever they went! …But there were only two, as far as he could tell… and they had used the exact same tactic twice, even though it hadn't worked the first time… Would they be stupid enough to try a third time?

A thought snapped through his mind… or maybe a memory… a memory of skills once finely honed, but forgotten for millennia…

Taking a deep breath to calm his racing heart, he slowly, reluctantly closed his eyes. As he focussed solely on his ears, the rushing of blood was nearly overpowering… he knew he had only a tiny moment to concentrate before they would attack again! His friend Marten could hit a rabbit in full sprint through metres of underbrush, just by the sound of its feet… This was easier, these creatures were coming right at him! His first shot had been hasty, he had still relied on his eyes, foolishly…

Focus… Breathe…

The hiss in his ears was silenced… and he suddenly perceived everything with almost startling clarity. The soft rustle of his clothing, the miniscule creak of his bow as he drew it, his beloved princess' heartbeat, so much more important than his own... even the tiny droplets of water crawling upwards in the Great Deku Tree's bark… And, most importantly, he heard two pairs of wings, and so exactly that he could pinpoint their precise location without a thought.

Both were diving at him, the right one much closer already… Ignore it, it won't attack, it's nothing but a distraction!

He snapped to the left and shot… with his senses enhanced like this, there was no point in taking time to aim… or to wait whether he had hit his mark. He heard the air being split by the steel tip of his projectile...

Without a moment of hesitation he grabbed his bow with both hands and swung it with all his might at the one approaching on his right… and felt a satisfying, crunching resistance as the mistreated wood crushed tiny bones.

Link opened his eyes, no longer able to resist his natural impulse, and the unnatural acuity of his senses faded. He heard a sharp 'thock' and a moist 'splat' as his arrow hit the wooden wall, its flailing quarry impaled, and the other beast was squashed against the other side. The magic veil that had hidden them from his sight was lifted and he saw them both twitch sickly for a moment before they lay still… and with startling speed shrivelled up like prunes before crumbling to fine black dust.

He stared at the two little mounds, his brain trying to comprehend the near impossible feat he had just done and mostly failing. To shoot a creature no larger than a bat with absolute precision by relying only on the sound of air swirling past their wings…

"Were… were those…" he heard her voice approaching from behind, frighteningly loud to his oversensitive ears.

"Keese…" he muttered through gritted teeth. But not only that… _invisible_ Keese! The bloodthirsty demons of the darkest depth were seldom seen above ground, even in the blackest night… Now he had encountered them twice in one week! They were rumoured to be nearly imperceptible, that even whole swarms could strip a man's flesh to the bone without someone standing next noticing a thing… But to be able to hide themselves utterly from sight even in this murkily lit room?

"Like the creature we saw dominating them… the one chasing Veneli…" she mumbled, guessing his thoughts.

He nodded tensely. The winged horror they had just barely been able to drive back had appeared in his dreams more than once… It too had been cloaked in shadows…

"Link, pull up your tunic over your shoulder, please." Zelda commanded to his confusion. Seeing his uncomprehending look, she pointed at his arm, where a small patch of blood had soaked through the fabric.

"Oh…" He hadn't even felt it until now…

Disinfecting and bandaging took less than a minute… The beast had fiendishly sharp teeth… Its fangs might only be a centimetre long, but it had rammed them deep into his muscle, even through his tunic. Had he not brushed it away so quickly, he had no doubt he would be missing a thumbnail sized chunk of flesh… The thing had tried directly for his eye… The thought of what damage it would have done had he not sensed its approach… a wave of nausea washed through his gut as his mind conjured all too vivid pictures…

He looked upwards. About 25 metres above he could see an end to the impossibly high chamber. In the very middle of the ceiling was a round opening, about 5 metres across, leading further up. He couldn't see anything past it though… the light that pervaded this room seemed to stop abruptly, leaving only darkness behind. He had a bad feeling… He suspected their way must lead them further into the crown of the Tree… but the thought of entering this hole that seemed to be teeming with such a sharp blackness… seemed to lure him into the black, draw his thoughts into an infinite vortex down to depravity until he could never see the light again… He had to suppress a cold shiver…

"Do you… can you sense anything? From above?" he hesitantly asked as he felt her standing beside him, following his gaze.

She seemed to concentrate, a look of apprehension passing over her delicate features. He knew how her sixth sense frightened and pained her, how she was forced to experience people's fears and hurts as if they were done to her own body. He knew she would gladly forget about that torturous ability, if only she could. Sadly, it was that reluctance, he suspected, that held her back immensely from learning more about her powers… But who wouldn't shirk back from something that forced visions Yet for him she braved the terror of lowering her defences… He didn't know whether he should just feel gratitude or disgust at himself…

"No… but…" she frowned and absentmindedly gripped his arm to ground herself back into reality. When she opened her eyes, a sheen of sweat had formed on her forehead. "It's… like there's less than nothing… as if I am being consciously shut out…" she explained, confusion and anxiety in her eyes as she looked into his.

He nodded, despite not being able to fully understand. "As it stands, we have no way of reaching up there anyway… maybe we can circumvent it entirely…" he suggested without truly believing his words. Still, she nodded, took a deep breath and let go of his arm. With tremendous effort, they wrested their eyes away from the hole into blackness. The hairs of his neck stood on end as he presented it to the sinister opening… He prayed without hope that their way wouldn't lead them through there. It wasn't the absence of light that scared him… It was the sound he had heard in the brief moment of perfect perception… The sound of hundreds and hundreds of nervous, leathery wings…

* * *

The open door waited for them, with a short corridor and another room beyond. A dry, dusty smell wafted against them from it, scratching their throats and leaving a slightly unpleasant taste on their tongues. The hall itself was like a long tube… like the inside of an enormous branch, Link realized. Ten metres across and about 20 in length. They had entered at about half height, standing on an even platform with the branch's curvature above them. The room was divided in the middle by a large trench spanning the entire width form left to right. At the far end was another platform, just like theirs, but…

"Is that… are those…"she began, then swallowed.

"Spider webs…" he finished for her and fully understood her dismay. Almost all of the other side, floor, walls and ceiling, was covered by thick layers of spider silk. Things were scattered over the floor over there, but they couldn't even guess at their true form under the sheer density of the stuff. Link took a very careful step forward and, with a certain reluctance, looked down into the trench. His stomach confirmed with a queasy feeling what his eyes saw. Skulltulas… hundreds, thousands… myriads… An uncountable number of eight-legged critters, the complex movement of their dull, metallic looking carapaces giving the 'floor' the look of sizzling iron as they crawled past, over and under each other. Most were smaller than his thumb… but very many still were decidedly, uncomfortably larger. He spotted how some of them vanished or appeared through tiny cracks in the wood, making him wonder how far, how deep their tunnel system went… and whether a flood of them could at any point pour forth from the walls.

He also had the incomparable opportunity to see how a dog-sized specimen dragged in a still twitching crow… and how in mere seconds it was reduced to nothing but bones that quickly sunk below the tide of spindly legs.

A repulsed little sigh from his left very nearly made him jump into the pit. He had been so engrossed in the disgusting spectacle, that he hadn't even heard her join him. A look at her expression told him anything he needed to know about her current thoughts.

Neither of them were phobic of the things, thankfully… but a whole childhood of hearing the terrible, unspeakable things that Skulltulas did to their victims had left them with a healthy caution. "Eight legs on a skull? Run, or be one for the cull!" is what many Hylian parents told their children…

The main difference between these nasty critters and spiders, which Link actually rather liked, was in character… If a spider found you sleeping, it would just walk over you… A Skulltula would bite you for good measure, simply because you were there… and it would depend on its size whether you would be spending three days in near incurable pain, or whether you would be dead within the hour.

"…Well…" he whispered forlornly.

"Quite…" she answered, equally hushed.

A few seconds of silence passed, both entranced by the spectacle below. "Why are we even…"

"HEEEY!" a sharp, high shout nearly stopped both their hearts. "OVER HEEEEEERE!"

Link, his heart still hammering, gazed over to the other side and his jaw dropped. What his earlier, cursory glance hadn't uncovered was how a thick, moist looking cocoon hung suspended from the webbed ceiling by a single, thick strand of spider-silk. And that cocoon was now wriggling and hopping up and down in an almost comical manner. "GET ME OUTTA HEEEERE!" a slightly distorted, childlike voice screamed hysterically… Maca's voice!

"Maca?! Hold still! Don't move so much!" Link yelled back, trying to be silent and audible all the way over there at once as he gazed nervously at the throbbing mass underneath.

"Linky! What took you so long?!" the forest-child's voice reached their ears, sounding slightly miffed. "I've been hanging here la-di-da-di-da for DAYS! They tried to eat me! TWICE! But Iiiiii'm too tough, WAHAHAHA!" The spider-sack bounced in tune with his laughing. If the threat of thousands of enraged Skulltulas hadn't loomed so closely, it would have been an absurdly hilarious sight.

"Come on! Get me out! The Great Deku Tree asked me to help you, which I can't do in here… Unless I'm supposed to help you free me, but then how am I supposed to help you, if I'm in here instead of out there where I can help you free me from in here, so you have to free me so I can help you free me, ooooooh this is getting complicated!" the strange boy burbled on in one breathless tirade.

"Hold. Still!" Link hissed back, getting increasingly worried because the roiling masses underneath seemed, to his eyes, get increasingly antsy. He hoped it was just his imagination… "I'll come get you, but you have to be quiet!"

"Alright! Going to sleep, then!" he informed them happily and was instantly silent.

They gazed at each other meaningfully, then scrutinized the room more carefully. A plan was beginning to formulate in Link's head… though it wasn't one he particularly liked.

"How are you going to get over there?" Zelda whispered anxiously, still having trouble to divert her attention from the menacing sea of legs and teeth below.

"That way, I believe…" he answered and pointed to the left wall. At about a metre above their heads four branch-like posts jutted out. From two of them hung a frayed piece of rope…

"I believe a bridge of some kind once spanned between here and the Maca's end… I think it was suspended from these." he explained silently. "It must have crashed at some point… and is now probably part of the Skulltula nest… I think I can jump from peg to peg…"

Her expression darkened… he could see that she didn't like his plan. Understandable, as he wasn't all that fond of it himself. But he saw no other way…

The right side, incidentally, was covered with spider-web all over… but the four corresponding posts still poked through the thick, sticky substance.

He walked over to the web-free wall, gauging the height of the first peg.

"Link, look!" she directed his gaze around. "Aren't there…"

His eyes went wide. "Oh…" was all he could manage right now. A few, extremely fine strands of silk spanned diagonally from the wall into the nest in the trench… none reaching quite as high as the poles were, but…

"If you touch any of them…" she began, alarmed and terrified. His mouth went rather dry… Thank Nayru she had spotted that… he would have to be doubly careful… and swinging from post to post was now out of the question. He would have to jump and land on them perfectly!

"I'm actually surprised that they haven't attacked us yet… traipsing around foolishly as we are…" he muttered, furious at himself for his lack of vigilance.

"Dumb luck?" she suggested, giggling out of pure nervousness. "They don't hear or see all that well. They also don't hunt _within_ their nest… and the apparently simply don't recognize us as a threat. But if you touch any of these strands..."

"We'll have graduated from irrelevant to intruder." he finished for her, his insides squirming uncomfortably at the thought. He took a good, long look at the distance between here and the first peg… the further away he gazed, the harder the fine strands were to spot. At the far end, he could only guess…

"The way to the first one seems clear… as long as I don't swing too much, I should be able to hang from it and pull myself up…" he mumbled, thinking aloud in part to calm himself. "Right… I'll try for it. If I don't think I can progress, I'll just return and we think of something else…"

"Mhm…" she hummed with a jittery, high voice. He didn't move for a few seconds.

"Err… you'll have to let go of me dumpling, or I won't get very far." he reminded her gently.

"Oh… I'm sorry…" she squeaked after looking confusedly at her own hands that had his tunic in a vice grip without her noticing.

"Don't worry. I'll be fine." he promised. He hoped…

She stared into his eyes, hers grim and hard and full of worry… then nodded fiercely. A silent, irrefutable order to keep his word…

He took a deep breath, then exhaled slowly, calming his racing heart and his twitching muscles… Then sprinted the few paces towards the wall, keeping his steps deliberately light. He jumped at the wooden surface at the last moment, ran two strides upwards, then jumped off as best he could. His leap took him over the edge and over the death-promising pit… if he had misjudged anything, he could only hope that his death would be quick…

Thankfully, he had easily enough height. His chest rammed against the wooden inward-branch and his hands hurriedly slung around it. The wood groaned due to the sudden weight, but didn't budge. He hung there for a second, not even daring to breathe. Over his shoulder he glanced at the waving, jittering, seething mass below, fearing that his last conscious thought would be millions of Skulltulas exploding up the walls… and engulfing her… Thankfully, they did not seem any more agitated than before. The breath he exhaled was so full of relief, he nearly lost his grip due to his muscles relaxing.

Cautiously, deliberately, he positioned his hands and shifted his weight so he could push himself up with a minimal amount of leg-swing. Slowly so he wouldn't lose balance, he managed to place his feet on the narrow peg, so he now perched on top of it.

An almost uncontrollable giggle forced its way out and he glanced back at his Zelda. Her hands, balled to fists, were in front of her mouth and her entire body seemed so tense it was a wonder it didn't snap… But seeing him do his stupid, wide grin her hunched posture eased slightly and she started breathing again.

Right… back to narrowly avoiding death again…

Very delicately and using the wall for balance, he turned so he faced the next pole. He took a good minute to make sure he knew that no silky strands were in his way, then slowly got into the perfect position to jump. Goddess, how often had Mart, Ric and he made a game out of jumping from stem to branch to rock without touching the floor… and how often they had all landed face first in the mud. This time, the consequences would be quite a lot harsher than a few scratches and a fiery lecture from his mother.

Shaking his head free of these distracting thoughts he leapt. Time seemed to slow, just enough for him to reflect on how useless that really was… it's not like he could change his trajectory now!

His feet hit the peg first and together with both hands on the wall it was enough to break his momentum so he didn't have to do a controlled fall off the other side… or do anything pointless like waving his arms around.

Exhaling another tense breath, he repeated the process: perching, looking, planning, getting ready… Now that the first hop had worked so well, he had a pretty good idea how hard he needed to jump off. Repeating it would be easier, but he still took all the time he felt he needed.

The moment was there, his muscles tensed and pushed him off… A resounding crack underneath, the wood gave way, taking most of his force with it. His body, panicked, stretched as far as it could with a strained grunt and his fingers barely found the next post. His body turned and swung, no stability possible as he was only holding on with his left hand. His shoulder complained viciously, but he barely paid it attention. He pulled himself up just enough so he could grasp with his right too, then used all his body control to stop himself from swaying.

His mind trembling with red hot panic, he looked over his shoulder and downwards, fully expecting to see the masses below boiling in rage, a wave of evil little legs and teeth already crawling up the walls, ready to envelop him in certain, painful demise…

The treacherous peg hadn't fallen, it swung lazily from a few, last strands of saving wood… and by the look of things, his feet had just narrowly avoided a few of the alarm-strings. The Skulltulas below seemed as they were before, the low background-noise of their carapaces dragging over each other hadn't changed. Still not daring to breathe, he carefully unfurled his legs enough so he could begin pulling himself up. His left came terrifyingly close to another thread of silk… he prayed to all goddesses that he had just imagined it waving slightly due to the puff of air his motion had caused…

With horror fuelled care her began his ascent, despite his arms and hands urging him to haste. When he was finally up, he made sure he had good balance, then closed his eyes for a few seconds, trying desperately to keep both his heart and his stomach down. Gritting his teeth he pulled himself together, letting a bit of anger take the place of fear. Ire didn't cripple you like fear did…You just had to make sure that it didn't make you incautious.

The last jump went smoothly, thankfully. Part of his brain fidgeted about how he would make his way back, seeing as one of the pegs was now unusable… but he suppressed it for now. Instead, he focused on reaching the cocoon with Maca.

It didn't look good… from his perch on the last post, he could see that the entirety of this platform was webbed in… the only uncovered foothold he could see was the very edge of a table underneath him… which was good, but he would still be much too far away from the child's prison to do anything.

Careful as not to disturb anything or, goddess forbid, set his foot onto the stickily glistening web, he let himself down from the pole and onto the wooden surface of what looked to be a workbench of some sort. He gazed around, hoping to find a spot that could take him just a little closer… but try as he might, the white, silky surface was unbroken.

He glanced over to Zelda. Nayru's wisdom, she looked pale as a ghost! He cursed himself for his clumsiness, making her tremble like that… even though he knew he couldn't have avoided it.

Still, even from across the room, he could see her intelligent eyes scanning the area for a solution. After a few seconds, with a questioning expression, she pointed towards Maca, then did an increasing swinging motion with her hands.

Link's face lit up, he instantly understood. He took another long look at the cocoon, and the length of the strand with which it was affixed to the ceiling… yes… Yes that could work!

"Maca!" he whispered sharply.

"At your service! …if I wasn't still in here." Came the answer without a moment's delay.

"Listen carefully. I very close, but I can't quite get to you without these things deciding that I'm going to be dinner…" He explained, adapting a way of speech that he somehow knew would captivate the forest boy.

"Aaiiii, how dreadful! You're not supposed to be dinner!" the child's voice whined.

"Exactly. So as I can't get to you…"

"I'll have to get to you!" he finished happily. "Buuuut waaait. Howzzat gonna work? I tried digging myself out, they just made the thing thicker!"

"That's why I need you to swing back and forth until I can grab the cocoon. Can you do that?"

"Ooooh, I like the idea!" he giggled as if there was no better excitement to be had in the entire world.

"Nice! Now, just follow my voice and start rocking!" he ordered, carefully taking his knife into his left hand.

"Bah, I'm not a Goron! I'll rather sway like a willow's branch!" he announced, and without further ado began with surprising dexterity.

"Wooo! Weee!" he warbled, moderately silently, with each back-and-forth.

"A tiny bit more…" Link hissed as his outstretched fingers could almost grasp it.

"On my waaay!"

One more long swing and he would catch it! He stretched as far as he dared and with a last "Wheeee!" he caught the surprisingly hard, yet sticky prison. With one fluid motion he brought his knife across the thick thread, the sharpened steel cutting it easily and…

Silence.

The incessant scuttling from below ceased in an instant and only a portentous, deadly silence remained. In a moment that seemed to draw into infinity, nothing moved a muscle…

Then Link bolted and pushed himself off with superhylian, terror-driven strength, reaching the closest peg almost from a standing leap. Below him the floor exploded… A torrent of black and white carapaces of all sizes cascaded upwards with frightening speed, the former low susurrus now a tempest of hissing, screeching and clacking legs and jaws.

Sheer panic sending his heart to a stifling race, he simply jumped forward, his body taking control when his mind was paralyzed with horror. He hit the next post as if in a full run, his eyes subconsciously spotting that the flood of death had almost reached the height of his legs. Without thinking he leapt off yet again without slowing, the cocoon held firmly under his left arm. His right reached out… the second pole was gone, so he had to somehow reach the one closest to Zelda. Mid flight he saw something that made him scream out his precious breath in yet another wave of fear.

An enormous, spiky, hairy leg reached out from under the platform Zelda stood on and crashed heavily into the wood right beside her. With terrible speed a Skulltula the size of a horse, previously hidden in the shadow below the platform, heaved its massive body up top, and advanced with unmistakable menace.

With a mighty roar he grabbed the last peg with his right, swung widely to conserve his momentum, then let go at precisely the right moment to continue his flight towards the fearsome creature and the exit. There wasn't even an instant to be wasted with thought! He chucked the sticky lump through the open door, then grabbed his sword before his feet touched the ground. He rolled smoothly to control his landing and tore forward, the hungry storm surge of a myriad spiderlings just scuttling over the edge, less than half a metre away from his feet.

He ducked through the brutal-looking legs of the Skulltula queen that would reach Zelda within a moment. With a furious howl he hacked at a joint in the monster's front leg, his blade slicing through with a bluish-green flash, but that was probably just an illusion from his terrified eyes.

The creature reared up and instinctively retreated from the source of pain, giving him just enough time to continue his unbroken sprint, grab the fleeing Zelda by her waist, lifting her up and speed down the corridor. The violent stream of a million Skulltulas deafened his ears. He couldn't turn to look how close they were, but he could almost feel them biting at his leg and dropping from the ceiling.

He passed the door onto the platform overlooking the main hall, his lungs burning, his mind in panic at where to flee next. They couldn't be outrun!

" _Close_!" Zelda screamed with all her might in his arm and, blessedly, the Tree must have heard as the heavy log-door slammed shut with a bone shaking crash. For a few breathless minutes they heard the vile things throw themselves against the wood, hissing and spitting in primal fury… but open it they could not. After a while, the sound died down… and silence returned to the Heart of the Tree.

Gingerly, because he started trembling so much he nearly lost all feeling in his hands, he set down his beloved Zelda, who immediately wrapped her arms around him and squeezed so tightly that it almost hurt. She buried her face against his chest and he his in her wonderfully scented hair… They held each other as tightly as possible, both supporting and at the same time leaning onto the other, all in silence as the terror was still far too great for any words.

He couldn't say how long they remained like this, somehow not toppling over despite their knees being nothing but mush. He also didn't care how long it was. Bit by bit her warmth against him, her scent in his nose, her heartbeat against his chest, the sound of her breath in his ears returned the world from utter madness to some semblance of sanity. As one, their tremulant hearts slowed and their minds were cleared of horror-visions with torrents of vicious fangs and legs.

Maca was considerately quiet… Link suspected the little imp understood quite a bit more than his naïve behaviour suggested. Still, after what felt like an eternity, he couldn't hold still any longer. "Could you… free me now, Linky?" the strange boy softly twittered.

The addressed slowly, reluctantly let go of the girl who once again was helped restore his sanity. He gently stroked over her head and cheek until she was ready to release him.

He looked around for the dirty-white cocoon. "Err… Maca? Where are you?"

"Well how'm I supposed to know?!" he blustered. "I'm sure I'm somewhere! I'd rather be somewhere else though!"

"Hang on…" Link asked, tired enough now that he actually considered walking back down and resting under the Tree. Following the odd, slightly distorted voice he spotted that he had thrown the cocoon a tad too far… and it was now sticking just barely to the outside edge of the platform. Very carefully he slung his arm around so an errant move wouldn't dislodge the thing entirely, resulting in quite a far plunge.

Cutting the spidery prison open turned out to be surprisingly difficult. The thousands of singular strands firmed a dense, tough, almost leathery substance… he also couldn't just hack at it, of course. The last thing he wanted was to hurt the forest child inside.

"Almost there, my friend. Soon you can hop around to your heart's content again! …Don't wriggle so much!" Link warned warily.

"I'm just SOOoo excited! Being in here is no fun at all! It smells of nasty!" the boy warbled, bouncing around.

"You can say that again…"

"I'm just SOOoo excited! Being in here is no fun at all! It smells of nasty!" he dutifully repeated.

"Very good…" Link muttered with a wry grin. "Aaand you're free!" He sliced through the last few strands and pulled the thick coat apart with all his strength. Without a moments hesitation Maca had squirmed out and jumped high in the air, almost high enough to touch the ceiling. "Wheeeeeeeeeee-oomph!" he made with a slightly jittery landing.

The kid stood on the platform, stock still for a second, then started to tremble more and more until his entire body was rocking. Both Link and Zelda wondered whether he was having a fit…

Suddenly he darted right for the teen's leg and hugged it fiercely. "Waaaaaaaa!" he yelled miserably. "It-it was te-te-terrible…" A whole concert of sobs and snivels poured forth from the boy, which startled both his rescuers. He had, up till now, seemed so undaunted… but, it appeared, he really was, at least in part, just a child. Brave when he had to… distraught when he could no longer be strong.

Link gently patted his head as Zelda knelt down the stroke his back. "You were very brave, Maca… I didn't even notice that you were afraid!" he said truthfully.

"I-I… I sap-ping hate Skull-tu-las!" he shouted into his imprisoned leg and bounced to emphasise every syllable. The two chosen of fate glance at each other, their expression telling of both their sympathy and how adorable they found the display.

"How did they capture you anyway?" He couldn't resist asking.

The child gazed up to look at his saviour's face alongside his body. "Weeell…" he seemed a bit sheepish. "I wanted to shoo them away, of course! And clean up! Because you were coming…" he explained a bit cryptically.

"You wanted to… shoo a nest of Skulltulas out…" Link asked for confirmation with an incredulous smirk. It did sound like the delightfully, stupidly innocent thing he would do.

"I asked nicely!" the boy defended himself. "And when they didn't listen I just grabbed a broom and wanted to sweep them out! They didn't seem to understand…"

Another glance passed between Zelda and him and neither could suppress a little giggle.

"What?!" The lad stepped back and set his arms akimbo. "I had to clean up for you, didn't I? It's been so long since you were here!"

"What's so important about that chamber?" Zelda asked curiously.

The small creature turned towards her. "Well it's… it's his room…"

The information hit Link somewhere in his stomach, creating a strange, hollow, sad feeling… only then it passed fully into his brain. "My…" he began, but couldn't finish.

"Yes… long long ago…" the boy explained, his voice sounding mournful. "We kept it nice for you for… a loooong time… but…" he broke off, sounding positively dejected now… "…but when everybody else… left, I just didn't have the time… I'm sorry…"

Link's insides cramped at Maca's story. The idea that the forest children had kept his room tidy for him for… centuries maybe… in the hopes that he would return… And hearing that this one had been alone for goddess knew how long… To say it choked him up would be an understatement…

He felt her warm hand on the back of his neck, gently brushing through his hair. He swallowed heavily, trying to control his voice. "I… I am sorry, but… I don't even remember… not really…" he began.

"I know you don't… the Great Deku Tree said you wouldn't. But like this, we had something to remember you by…"

"Thank you for… doing this… and for trying to remember me…" he mumbled, not really understanding fully why he said it. His eyes burning treacherously.

"'S alright. I'm just sad that the others can't see you returned..." the boy muttered, hanging his head.

"Where are the others?" Zelda asked when she noticed that her Link couldn't, though her voice didn't sound any less moved.

Maca was silent for a long time. "Some left… others went to sleep… The Great Deku Tree couldn't support us all after a while… and now that He has gone to sleep too…" He looked up hesitantly. "I thought, maybe you could stay for a while, Linky…"

Without another thought Link bent down and locked the child, who his entire body achingly told him was a dear friend, into a firm embrace. He felt as if he might burst from powerless sadness, but strangely, the tears wouldn't come. A wooden, but also warm and soft hand patted him softly on his back. "Don't be sad. I know you can't stay. But it was nice hoping anyway…" The slightly warped voice lilted in his ear. Then he gave him a sharp little love tap on the head. "Now, we mustn't waste time! The Great Deku Tree needs your help! And you need… ME!" he yelled, all excitement again. "We can talk… another time."

The sudden mood-swing was a tad jarring, but weirdly, it helped to get his thoughts back to the matter at hand. "Right. We do, Maca. Can you-" He began, but the interruption followed immediately.

"Bah! Such a long time and you still haven't learned to jump that measly little hop?" the boy tutted playfully. "Leeeearn from the MASTER!" And with an effortless, majestic leap he was off towards the dreadful, dark hole in the ceiling. As his trajectory was just about to dip downward again, he carried out a perfect little spin and, with an audible 'poof', he suddenly clutched a strange peculiar, four-leafed plant, not unlike a clover. "Tadaaaa! Bet you have forgotten about that little trick as well, haven't you? Teehee!" he sang gaily. To both teen's open-mouthed amazement, the odd plant's leaves spun around the stem in Maca's hand, giving off a soft, greenish pink light… and allowed him to fly! With a fascinated grin, he spotted the hungry look in Zelda's eyes. He bet she would go to some lengths to get her curious hands on one of these… If they were at all something that could be grasped, both literally and figuratively.

"Yahahaaa! Now for my nex-puaah!" The kid, uncaring of his height smacked his head neatly on the ceiling, his wonder-leaf slightly bent out of shape until he regained control. Neither of them could stifle a slight chuckle, especially at the barely intelligible tirade that was thrown at them for finding merriment at Maca's expense. It too, helped them both to cover the smothering sadness they had felt for now. In a moment of strange insight, Link wondered how much of all this the whimsical forest child had planned…

"Hhanyway!" the boy huffed. "I'll show you what's what! I'll show you the power of the grrrreat MACA!"

It was hard to see from the distance, but he seemed to twirl his hand around until it was encompassed in a mild, green radiance. Tiny emerald sparks dropped from his pudgy little fingers, their light shining all the way down to the bottom, colouring the ubiquitous mist in a vibrant shades of life. The two heroes stood mesmerized at the gorgeous display, their skins reacting in unisono goosebumps at the verdant power that wafted against them.

With a triumphant cackle the forest imp flew towards the very rim of the hole and drew his glowing hand once around the entire circumference. With a fascinated gasp, their eyes witnessed vines growing immediately where Maca had worked his magic, sprouting with impossible speed and cascading downwards. Giggling excitedly, the little woodling directed their growth with a few simple hand motions, and they obediently twisted and intertwined. Within a minute a large convoluted branch had spiralled its way all the way towards the platform they were standing on and smoothly wrapped around it until it was securely anchored. Another minute later, the green vines were lignified and had sprouted long, horizontal leaves. With open mouths, they understood what had just been made to grow in a manner of moments… a spiral stairway!

"Holy Farore's mercy…" Zelda whispered, spellbound as the interwoven vines finished their arcane growth spurt, the bottommost leaves fully unfolding and Maca gently corrected small mistakes or irregularities. Link was no less enchanted, grinning madly like a child at funfair. If a tiny gnome like Maca could command such powers, what awesome miracles could the Deku Tree unleash? It boggled his mind just thinking about it…

With a snap of his fingers, the sorcery ceased and the familiar gloom returned to the cavernous hall. The boy floated on his magical clover right at the entrance of the newly 'cultivated' stairwell… a sentence that sent even more swirls of incredulous confusion through his brain.

"Well?! Wwwwhaddaya think?!" the imp roared heartily.

"Maca, that was… breathtaking!" Zelda exulted, immediately bowing down to inspect the vines with both eyes and hands, ever the bright-eyed scientist. Slightly less a scholar but not a iota less intrigued, Link joined her, the two of them soon ogling, pointing, showing and sharing each new discovery like children. A moment of rare, pure childhood that, forced into an early, vicious adulthood, they sorely lacked.

"Hehehe! Well it's not… it's not that good…" Maca mumbled, suddenly a tad bashful. "If the Great Deku Tree was awake, he'd show you something REALLY great!" Then he put his finger over the mouth-shape in his face-leaf in a very kid-like gesture. "…although, he'd probably be all like 'Now, power should never be wasted for idle bravado!' or something like that…" he explained, making his high voice sound as deep as he could.

Something that has been gnawing at Link's mind suddenly formed an important question. "Maca… is the Deku Tree going to… is He…" he trailed off, but he received his answer anyway.

"Of course the Great Deku Tree will be alright! What did you expect? He's the Great Deku Tree!" the boy explained full of fervour. "But he still needs your help…"

The chosen of fate nodded, heavy with responsibility. "I understand. I will not fail Him or you!" he promised with a sincerity that surprised even him.

Maca giggled and jumped from his rotating clover right into his friend's arms. "I know you won't, Linky. I've seen you do it before…" he warbled softly. "And don't be glum… everything is as it should be!" He remained still for a few seconds, hugging the befuddled teen, whose head swam with burden, doubt, hope and shreds of memory that both comforted and saddened at once.

Then, as if stung by a wasp he wriggled away and bounced about again. "Now I gotta go! I've dawdled enough with you already, teehee. I have to take care of my own business now! Bye!" and with a sudden 'poof!' he had vanished in a cloud of mist.

Link stared numbly at the now vacant spot, a thousand barely formed questions burning on his mind. Despite the soul-rending sorrow that ungraspable part of him felt, it was now a calm, coherent grief… like a wound that had stopped festering and had started to heal. Maca's last few words, strangely, had been a great source of comfort… both that the Tree would live, as well as the vague assurance that everything was going its correct course. Mostly he was relieved that, despite the forest-child's condolement, there was no blame, no bad blood whatsoever.

Once again he felt Zelda's soft, consoling hand caressing his neck and he smiled thankfully at her. In her sparkling, magnificent eyes he seemed to find the strength he needed.

"No point in dwelling on the past... especially one that… seems to be mine only by inheritance, right?" he stated… though he still hoped for her highly valued thoughts.

She bit her cheek, but didn't break eye contact. "The past isn't to be feared, I think… and reliving and learning from it is not a mistake unless sweet memory turns into debilitating melancholy… The past is what brought you to the present, but it doesn't define it."

He could do nothing but smile meekly at her words that seemed to perfectly fit that hole in his soul… "Then I choose to go forward and refuse to let the occasional glance back slow me… but have it invigorate me instead." He paraphrased to show her he accepted her wisdom as true. She grinned happily, stood on her tip-toes and gave him a painfully short, but encouraging kiss on the lips. It made him simper like a complete dolt.

"Well… we're already saving the world… no reason why we shouldn't be able to save a big old tree and His children as well!" he stated, the absurdity of it not lost on either of them.

Zelda snorted a tiny chuckle and nodded.

As one, they looked at the newly grown spiral staircase, still marvelling at the magic behind its creation, but also wondering whether the leaves that comprised the stairs would actually hold. Link couldn't help but think that, due to his almost non-existent weight, Maca might have misjudged the carrying capacity of his opus… Then again, they did sprout from the Tree itself, didn't they? And then there was the matter of where the thing led to… the sinister hole in the ceiling that seemed to negate any light… and that seemed to house more of the winged horrors…

But one thing at a time! Gingerly, he set his foot onto the first leaf… he could feel small hands gripping the back of his tunic to yank him back, just in case… The peculiar step bent a bit under his weight but as far as he could judge, it held stably. Over his shoulder he gave her a look that said 'Yeah, well, maybe, should be fine.'

Slowly but steadily they made their way up. As often as he could, he gazed upwards into the unknowable darkness, trying to catch a glimpse of anything... and his nervousness increased with every step. More and more his ears warned him of flapping of leathery wings and the scratching of tiny claws on wood… but his eyes could not pierce the blackness overhead. He swallowed, trying to formulate plans for all eventualities. Most of all, his mind battled itself with the decision of either taking his protégé with him so he could keep a close eye, or whether he should ask her to stay behind until he had sorted it all out up above… Then the thought of her probably explosive reaction to such a proposal solved that little conundrum right quickly.

"What are you smiling about?" she asked sharply. He flinched, but his grin only got wider, despite his best efforts.

"Nothing!" he promised, shaking his head.

"Hrm." She huffed. "I wished I could muster such eagerness for entering a pit of complete darkness…"

A few steps before their heads poked through the hole, Link lit a torch, though he had little hope that its light would be able to compete…

To both their continued amazement, the vines hadn't just cascaded downwards, they had also grown up, providing yet more easy access through the at least 3 metre thick ceiling… Though their adulation was rapidly snuffed as they ascended further. With every step they took, the air got colder… and quieter… The light of the torch was barely enough to show the next step… The wall itself was cold, but otherwise to the touch… yet it seemed to be covered by a film of something that would not let even the tiniest shimmer pass. The only way they knew that the room finally opened was through the change of the sound their steps made… and because the enigmatic stairs suddenly stopped.

Zelda walked up behind him and stayed close… He could see puffs of vapour forming from her breath and saw her shiver slightly. Her eyes gazed around wildly, wide and scared. He was faring no better… All his own vision showed was the two of them, standing amidst a seemingly endless, impenetrable darkness that seemed to slowly choke even their last little speck of light. Even sound had ceased… the vile noises that had become more and more urgent as they ascended, were silenced… With each breath they drew, it seemed to become more stifling, the all encompassing blackness appearing to draw closer, nearer and nearer, even though all their sensorium seemed deadened. It was like a lethal maelstrom of blackness that silently encroached, incomprehensible and unstoppable… It would tear them asunder, rip their entire essence from their bodies until nothing was left and the light in them had been snuffed.

He gritted his teeth, his mind working furiously while running out of space… How… how could he possibly fight this? How could he battle primal darkness with nothing but a simple sword?!

"Link! …!" Zelda hissed something with an urgent voice, but he couldn't understand…

He turned his head, desperate for anything that might help. No sound reached his ear any more… He already couldn't see his own body, or most of hers… the fire of the torch was nothing but a sickly blue flamelet… But her eyes! Her eyes shone as brightly, as crystal clear as they always had! Her inner light had not been tarnished in the slightest, despite the wall of dark being almost upon them. He let them be his anchor, his guiding beacon though the blackest night… most of all, he wouldn't let any of this vileness touch them!

She meant to tell him something… he read it in the earnest, pressing way she looked at him.

…She sensed something! Something beyond… Without a second of doubt, he sheathed his sword and grabbed his bow… He had seen something in her eyes… or maybe heard her voice… he couldn't say… He only knew she spoke to him, one way or the other.

He drew, now all of his vision gone except for her eyes… he didn't even hear his own breath anymore and the cold had numbed his fingers… But even when no communication seemed possible, he trusted her. Implicitly. He only needed one more sign: where to shoot.

Her eyes darted to the right and, almost as if he could for a tiny instant see from her perspective, he knew precisely where her mind was focusing on. He swung his bow around, his hands guided by more than mere, basic senses and loosed.

For a dreadful moment there was nothing. He felt the vibrations of the bowstring in his arm, a slow, undulating twanging as he breathlessly waited, prayed for his arrow to hit true.

Just as he was about to lose hope an ear shattering, furious scream pierced the absolute silence like a hot knife through skin. A cacophony of flapping wings and tiny, frightened screeches resounded from every direction.

Both children of fate clasped their hands over their ears as the sound was painful enough to make them groan and buckle, though it was of little help. The screech seemed to rattle their bones, threatening to split their skull open and push their blood out through every pore.

Link gritted his teeth against the agony and looked around, his vision blurred with tears. His eyes had been restored! No longer was there an impenetrable veil of darkness upon them! But what he saw was of little comfort…

The black maelstrom hadn't gone, it had simply taken the form of hundreds, no, thousands of keese, swirling around the two of them, snarling and gibbering hungrily. And behind them, presumably where he had shot his arrow, squirmed a creature he had hoped he would never have to lay eyes upon again. The horrid monster that had hunted Veneli and that he, Link, had chased away… a being that seemed to be made from utter blackness, its gaping maw of cruel rows of teeth gnashing in rage, its bony limbs and leather wings shaking with the intensity of its scream. He could see a deep gash in its thigh that leaked thick, tarry ooze.

Link knew he had no time. When that thing commanded its army of keese to ravage them, they had no chance. They would be ripped apart, one tiny bite at a time.

Fighting the agony in his head, he dashed at the nightmarish creature, bursting through dozens of its minions, pelting them aside as he reached for his weapon.

He couldn't say whether such a monstrosity from the depths of hell could feel fear… but its emaciated, twisted features seemed to express it nonetheless as he stormed right at it.

Its scream stopped and it whipped its arm to the side so its wing could shield its body. He was almost there! The tip of his sword would find its heart before its wing could bar his way!

A heavy blow to the side knocked the air out of his lungs and lifted him off his feet. Tiny claws dug into his skin where the blow had hit… He smacked to the ground, the momentum of his sprint making him roll across it briefly before he caught himself. About twenty of the being's minions lay scattered across the wooden floor, either still or flailing groggily. It took his staggered mind a moment to understand that they were what hit him, commanded by their master's gesture. The creature flapped its wings once and gently glided to the other side of the room, a weak, husky cackle coming from its lipless maw.

"That is twice you have seen through my illusion, she-fodder!" the thing spoke to them… though not through sound! "You will die almost as painfully as the juicy morsel that dared to wound me…"

Its voice in their heads sounded like the inescapable rumbling of mountains, the tempestuous fire beneath the earth… But Link wasn't fooled. He had understood that all the thing had done till now was feed them illusion upon illusion. His invisibility, the soul-crushing darkness and now the voice, meant to intimidate them… But most importantly of all: he had seen the brief glimpse of terror in those red-glowing eyes. Demon it may be… but, he realized with a malicious grin, it too feared its mortality.

"You will harm neither her nor me." He stated coolly as he stood. "All you are is dust and shadow. And we are not going to be your food!"

A furious hiss escaped the monster and its poise crumbled to an aggressive, agitated tremor. "You are nothing, fleshling!" The mountainous voice droned angrily, though it already sounded far less majestic, and much more croaking. "You chose to come between me and my prey… The feathered thing was good sport… we could have ended it at every turn, but we liked to see it suffer. You interfered! You shot an arrow through me! You chose to take the place of my prey, fleshling! You are nothing but food!" The foul beast lifted its arms as if to conduct their demise and the thousands of Keese, as one, took to the air again.

Once again Link dashed forward, pulling every ounce of speed from his muscles. He had to reach the monster before it could set its minions on them. Again he smashed through hundreds of filthy wings as they filled the air between him and his goal. He gritted his teeth… this time, he wouldn't be too slow!

The black nightmare lowered its claws and drew further back, its fiery red eye-sockets widened with shock. Again it brought its wings in front of it… Link's lips curled into a fierce smile. If he had learned anything from the times he or Veneli had been attacked by creatures under this thing's control, it was that it was predictable! It had such a wide array of weapons, it apparently never had to use them in creative ways… maybe it was just too stupid, who could know?

The attack of densely packed keese was expected, he dodged it almost lazily. Bringing his steel in a wide arc, he sliced vertically at the black, leathery wings. The bones at their top offered a surprising amount of resistance for such slim things, but it wasn't enough. His blade separated the tips of both appendages from the rest, sending a spray of tar-like blood through the air.

The monstrosity screeched its abysmal, paralyzing scream, but he had anticipated this also. Biting through the intense pain between his temples, he didn't break his sprint and barrelled into his enemy. Weighty he might not be, but speed he did have! He felt the sickening crunch of ribs as he shoulder dug into its torso, driving all air from its lungs. His charge catapulted the monster, which weighed next to nothing, against the wall, against which it crashed with a satisfying clatter of its bones. Only then did he realize his mistake. He had allowed the thing space once again, when being directly in the fray was the one thing it couldn't handle! Within a second, it vanished from sight, a tiny scratching sound on the wooden floor being the last sign of its presence.

Instantly, Link's eyes turned wide and frightened. The being from hell had underestimated his speed, had gotten careless… It wouldn't make that mistake again… And now he had accidentally given it just enough time to once again don its illusory cloak! Which gave it all the time in the world to command its army of claws and fangs at him! His flesh would be stripped to the bone… and then hers…

A barrage of little, prickly bodies hit his back, hard enough to make him stumble forward.

"Attack me, will you?" the deep, terrible voice rumbled.

A whole swathe of keese flew in an arc at his face. He had just enough time to burry it in his arms, but a hundred of little beclawed hands tore into his forearm and torso. It felt like being flayed by one, continuous stream of razor sharp needles.

"Try to break me, will you?!" the voice roared.

With a desperate cry, he brought his sword broadside through the never ending cloud of vicious critters, scattering them briefly, but he now saw he was in the centre of a veritable cocoon of nasty, glittering teeth with wings, being looked at hungrily with a thousand tiny eyes.

A sharp bite to his left side made him swipe his sword madly in the general direction, before another clump of them to the back of his knee made it buckle. His whole body hurt with countless little bites and scratches, but he cared little. With his fists clenched hard enough to crush rocks, he refused to give up! But what could he do? What had he learned that could help him now?

Screaming with frantic rage, he jumped back up, keeping his eyes closed. There were too many for them to make sense… but maybe his ears could…

Focusing in the tiny moment he had before the next wrathful attack would come, he tried to conjure up those hidden talents that seemed to slumber within and come out whenever they pleased. He prayed that they would answer his call…

The sound of a thousand chaotically flapping wings reached his ears… his heart fell. Even with unparalleled senses, hearing an approaching assault would be like finding a needle in a haystack! There was just no way to distinguish a hostile intent from the mere threat all around. With every attack that got through, he would be a little bit slower, a little bit more occupied with hurt…

But… A memory of Sir Alistair suddenly sprang to mind… "Combat always follows some set of rules, lad. If they're not to your liking, change 'em!" the old knight had rasped. "Life's not a tourney! Make 'em dance to _your_ rules!"

Could it be that easy? He had been forced into a purely defensive position… attacking seemed ludicrous! Then again… he could not hold his defence… what was there to lose?

With a desperate roar, he launched himself through the wall of keese, tucking his head between his shoulders. He heard the little pests chatter in anger as he felt their bodies rebound off of him. He rolled over the ground and back into a standing position. His eyes still tightly shut, he refocused his attention. The infernal noise was far less now. A few of the critters swooped at him, but a few quick jabs ended their attack before it even begun. He swung in one elegant, fluid motion at all the miniscule monsters around, but his heart sank nonetheless. Even now, he had not even the faintest clue where their master was hiding… He had bought time and little else.

Gritting his teeth, he steadily retreated towards the wall, hoping he could at least keep his back free.

And then what? He had no answer… The monster's minions would encircle him again, and quickly… and the likelihood of him defeating all thousand of them was slim…

A wide, well aimed cut took out four at once, then he had to jump hastily away to avoid three more that wanted to lunge at his neck. A quick swipe at them as he leapt ended them, but he already heard the large mass of them approach once again. He brought his sword into a wide, diagonal swing right as he landed, turned quickly, his arm outstretched, and struck another quick horizontal blow. Another ten dead… But his shoulder already ached from the incredibly quick, reactive attacks he had to make… He wouldn't be able to function much longer… much less against another thousand!

All of a sudden the uncoordinated attacks stopped, giving him a moment for a deep intake of air… Then every last keese darted directly at him, claws outstretched, fangs bared.

Link sighed in the tiny second that remained before they would hit him from all sides. An image of Zelda's smile of pure sunlight floated through his mind… he almost felt it warming on his skin…

In the same infinitesimal moment his senses suddenly snapped open, like they had before in the hall below. With a little gasp, he could suddenly hear every swirl of wind off of _every_ wing, every grain of dust on his skin… and more! He could feel all of their tiny, vile hearts, could sense their hunger, their lust for his blood.

They were so close… One was only a span away from his left eye…

A dreadful, bone-shaking screech shattered through the air, forcing Link to rip his eyes open in shock. He saw how all the little vermin spasmed and fell from the air, some dropping harmlessly against him. His head snapped over to where he heard Zelda's quick, panicky breath. Her face was contorted in the fiercest, most aggressive snarl he had ever seen. Her wide-eyed, hate-filled stare was fixed at the far end of the room… at the bony, nightmarish monstrosity… which convulsed and screamed in obvious pain… and clutched at an arrow sticking right from its chest. Shocked he gazed back at her… and only now he could make full sense of what he saw. Standing there like an avenging angel, she held his bow in her delicate hands… streams of tears on her cheeks, her teeth bared… The hand with which she reached for another arrow trembling, the other dead calm.

Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw the monster lift a quaking claw… and saw the stricken keese stir, flap their wings and turn towards his warrior princess.

His mind clicked and before he could so much as blink his legs had carried him off. His left hand gripping his steel so hard it threatened to shatter the grip, he stormed towards their common enemy, still busy at trying to pull the arrow free from its emaciated flesh.

It would get no chance! The room was a blur, it passed beneath his feet in less than a second, the vile creatures crunching helplessly beneath his feet.

The beast didn't even see him approach… His blade sliced through its arm right at its elbow with impossible precision… it didn't even offer the slightest resistance to his purposeful strike…

The demon had just enough time to widen its gaping, infinite, red eye sockets before Link's sword, never stopping, finished its arc and lopped its head clean off. A tiny bluish green spark seared the filthy flesh right where it touched his razor sharp steel, followed by a thunderclap that blasted the monster away, disintegrating most of it instantly in a billowing cloud of ash and dust no sooner as the sword had finished its cut. The rest of the hellish spawn crumpled against the wall and fell apart into nothing but cinders as well, followed swiftly by every last of its minions.

Link stood there, unmoving where his backswing had finished, his eyes transfixed on the filthy remains, his muscles aching to strike again.

He heard something clattering behind him, then a series of hasty footsteps. He turned, but all he saw was a cloud of golden hair storming at him before he felt her familiar weight hanging from his neck. Instinctively he pressed her slim form against him, his relief immeasurable at seeing her unharmed… and his gratefulness indescribable for her valiant, undaunted action.

"Thank you… for saving my life…" he mumbled into her hair.

Her face buried into his chest, she shook her head vehemently, but didn't say a word. He could tell how hard she fought not to cry… her hands opened and closed, softly pulling his hair where her fingers were nested and her shoulders shook ever so often… He squeezed her as close to him as he could without hurting her, never happier than now to feel her heartbeat or her hot, jerky breath against his chest.

He swallowed, taking another lungful of her wonderful scent… then looked up fiercely.

Despite his senses slowly returning to normal, Link could still feel the impurity, the witch, that blight upon this holy place… This place that was so deeply rooted in his memory as… home… In the middle of his near demise, he had heard her cackle…

Just you wait, bitch… The last hurdle is overcome… and you are next!

* * *

 **Goddess above, 50 chapters already! Does one do some sort of jubilee-thing? No idea…**

 **Anyway… next time, end boss! Hope you're all excited! (…and that I can pull it off…)**


	52. The Deku Tree Temple: Part 3

**I completely missed the 1** **st** **year anniversary of this story… imaginary champagne for all!**

 **Without further ado, I hope you enjoy the finale to this arc!**

* * *

The Deku Tree Temple: Part 3

Link

You are next… The promise rang so fiercely in his mind, he was surprised it didn't echo from the walls. The witch's very presence, which he still felt like a splinter in his eye, seemed to mock him with every passing second. He didn't know what she was doing to the Deku Tree, or what she could possibly do to the Dragon, whatever it was… he also didn't care all that much. Whatever diabolical plan she hatched, he would put an end to it! There was not a shred of doubt in his mind… Righteous anger, born from all the filthy deeds of that she-monster and her vassals, had snuffed all such qualms.

He looked back down at the flowing mane of golden, shining hair in his arms. He still was quite trapped in her ferocious embrace… His little guardian angel… The look of aggression and hate on her normally so bright and staggeringly lovely face still shook his mind… She shouldn't be forced to have such an expression, he thought remorsefully. …Then again, he thought to himself, smiling a tiny bit, why should she be any less passionate or fervent than him? And his battle face probably wasn't all that glorious either…

One more time, there was never enough, he pressed his lips on her head, letting her aureate strands of hair tickle his nose. She murmured something into his chest, unintelligible, but just by its sound he understood how very little she thought of the idea of letting go. Exceedingly gently he pushed her to arms length. She resisted only pro forma…

He bent down a tiny bit to make her look at him. Her eyes met his with the by now familiar, yet still always fresh and incredible feeling of lightning shooting through his entire body down to his very core. He couldn't quite read her expression… Not scared, not angry, not doubtful… it was almost as if she herself didn't know how she should feel.

Her gaze lowered again towards his belly. "'s ruined…" she mumbled numbly, her small hands fumbling idly at the completely torn tunic that now failed to cover his belly. Her finger brushed against his mangled skin underneath, causing him to flinch. "Sorry!" she gasped, her eyes startled, but he just smiled. He judicially inspected his own abdomen… It looked as if it had been introduced intimately with an extremely annoyed cat… Impressively scratched up, but nothing serious.

"Do you want me to… see to it?" she asked uncertainly, the pain and guilt in her eyes hurting him more than a few abrasions.

"Not now. We're so close! We need to hurry!" he urged, though not unkindly. Truth was, he was getting increasingly worried about the Tree… He couldn't quite say why, but he could feel the tiny thread of strength they had restored failing… and quickly. Something was draining power from Him. The smell of rot slowly seeped back into the air, the whole surroundings were filled with the pained groan of dying wood… at least to his ears… He wondered whether Zelda could sense it too… or whether the closeness of his past self to the Great Guardian of the forest caused this intuition.

"Then let us finish this!" she confirmed, bravely trying to hide the slight tremble to her voice.

He nodded with a strangely proud smile, then led the way off after picking up his bow again.

There was but one way out, other than the hole in the floor. One of the large, log-doors they were, by now accustomed to. Upon his touch it lifted as usual, but… he bit his lip as his watchful eyes scanned it closely… Not only did it move noticeably slower, but he thought he noticed a few times when the motion stuttered altogether… With urgency driving on his heartbeat, he couldn't help but thinking of the last, rasping, faltering breaths of a dying man…

"Look!" she whispered beside him. His gaze followed her finger to the floor. The wound the rising slab of wood had ripped into it wasn't healing any more… or if it was, it was going significantly slower than before. The two of them shared a look, her shocked expression in a pale face mirroring precisely what he felt. Then they hastened off, quickening their steps as much as they dared. Both of them realized that hurrying would do them no good, if they stumbled head first into yet another trap… even though going slower than maximum speed tore at Link's soul.

* * *

Zelda

Their way continued upwards through a magnificent, long corridor with a gentle incline and an even gentler curve. The middle portion of the floor extending the entire length was like an earthen patch with grass growing on it… very much like nature's approximation of a red carpet. A glance at the right-hand wall betrayed that this long hallway must curve along the very edge of the Tree's bark. In periodic intervals were high, narrow windows, much like arrow-slits that let the room be filled with a gentle, orange light. Each of the windows, naturally, had a slightly different shape, due to the elemental growth of the wood, making the by now very obliquely arriving light cast many fascinating shadows on the opposite wall…

This must once have been a magnificent sight, a majestic dance of shapes and colours, all purely natural in their provenance… Now however, the once lush green grass was brown and brittle, the previously dark humus was grey, dry and spent and even the light had a dusty, sickly quality to it… While a terrible shame that they couldn't have marvelled at it in its glory days, they wouldn't have had time to, regardless.

They hastened up the slope, the gentle curve never seeming to end. Zelda suspected hey must have done almost a full revolution around the Tree by now, enormous as it was…

In the end, they reached a flat antechamber with another round door, though this one was different. While all the other log-doors were big and heavy, this one was truly massive. It dwarfed Link by at least two metres and she couldn't even begin to guess how weighty it must be… The others were rough, but cleanly cut… This beast had incredibly intricate carvings covering every centimetre, making it almost dizzying to gaze upon. One grand design, however, overshadowed all other images. Three figures were depicted in the very centre. Two of them, one clearly Hylian, the other monstrous with large tusks sprouting from its madly grinning mouth, were locked in combat, their swords crossed high between them. Beneath the battling blades stood the third, a maiden with long, flowing hair. Her eyes were closed and between her open hands seemed to be suspended some sort of force, which sended rays of light or magic in every direction. Above the scene of combat, swooping downwards right at them, their fangs bared, were three dragons. All three were breathing their flames, which merged and engulfed the entirety of the conflict below them… Everything was set ablaze, the smell of burning and ash all around, drying up her throat. Her beloved knight still fought valiantly, though she could see the dark red on his once green tunic ever increasing, and his speed and poise ever declining. The Monster, too, was bloodied, searing hot, crimson flames licking from many wounds. With ever rising fear, she realized she couldn't tell who was winning. Her heartbeat sounded like a stampede of horses in her head, which felt like it would split at any second. Her magic was failing fast, and her focus with it… already she could only see her love through the mist of nearing unconsciousness. The Beast roared in all its infinite, destructive fury, a gout of flame bursting from within. Her protector stood his ground, bellowing in kind from the strain of his own defensive sorcery clashing with the brutal attack.

They were equal! This would never end! It could never end! This struggle would go on for all eternity! With sudden cold sweat she realized that all their efforts, all their clever plans had been for naught…

Abruptly her head exploded with violent, sharp ache, making her whimper uncontrollably. She could feel something inside her tearing and her vision on the left side went dark. Something had changed… something had arrived!

Her strength almost spent, she gazed to the heavens, blood red from the reflected shine of a million flames in the world… and ice cold fear took her heart in a brutal grip. The dragons had arrived… all three… their eyes dead set on the epochal battle below… and all three ready to strike.

'No!' she thought, screamed in her mind as she could no longer scream with her voice. 'No, please! We need more time! Please, grant us more time!'

Nothing answered… nothing came back… except for the long, drawn, terrible sound of the dragons breathing in…

The vision ended abruptly, her legs almost giving out below her. She gasped for air as if she had held her breath for minutes, her skin both cold and hot with sweat. She felt two strong hands hold her up and saw two scared, deep blue eyes stare at her, deeply concerned. She recognized her sweet knight call her name, but the sound seemed to come belated and warped.

"Zelda! Zelda! What is it?! Talk to me, please!" he called increasingly urgently.

With tooth and nail she fought against the nearing unconsciousness and slowly succeeded. Laggardly her limbs started to obey her, and the nauseating fuzz abated from her senses.

"I- I'm alright. Stop shaking me… please…" she begged. He stopped immediately, both relief and guilt in his precious eyes, and just held her.

She swallowed some sour spit and tried to collect her thoughts. "I… had a vision. I didn't even notice when it started! I looked at the carving on the gate and…" she trailed off. She couldn't even say when a mere glance had turned into a glimpse into the past… or, maybe, the future?

He listened, letting her time to restore order within, even though she could easily see thousand of questions burning on his tongue. "It was so vivid, so frighteningly realistic like never before! But I… I don't understand it… I saw the scene depicted here… I'm sure or it!" she continued, pointing to the enormous door. "A battle between us and… It… But when I saw the dragons, I… I was scared! Terrified beyond all my wildest imaginations…" she explained, hoping her haphazard words made at least any kind of sense. Sadly, even in her own brain, none of it did… She gazed back into those wonderful, serious, concerned eyes of his, which didn't show even a hint of doubt… something for which she loved him to no end. "Then it stopped…"

He stared at her for a long minute… worry clearly reflected on his face. He attempted to answer a few times before finally asking "Do you believe we… shouldn't awaken the dragons?"

Goddess above, how could she possibly answer that? Whatever 'graced' her with these visions, a tiny hint of their meaning would also be greatly appreciated! "I don't know… I can't say!" she admitted with increasing desperation and anger at herself and those cursed powers she didn't want.

Not for the first time she wanted to batter her own, worthless head with its useless, painful and ostracizing hallucinations. But before she could so much as ball her fists, his strong, rough but gentle hands had already taken hers and held them safely… as if he knew…

"Shhh shh shh…" he cooed, scooting closer until his forehead rested against hers and their noses almost touched. "Listen to me. Listen. To me. Yes? We don't know what it means, fair enough. But as I see it, it doesn't matter, at least at the moment. We know the dragons are associated with the goddesses… and the blade that banishes evil that is supposed to be mine. Right? So, for now, they look like allies. And as we don't currently know any alternatives, we will go on, lest we stagnate." he detailed as if all those answers had been on his mind all along… making her wonder once again just how bright he really was… "And, furthermore…" he began again, his eyes gazing up at hers and… despite how close and blurry they were to her, she could see the boyish sense of guilt in them… "Even if we knew that we shouldn't wake them… I cannot simply abandon the Tree… Forgive me, Zelda, but I cannot just walk away and let this corruption eat it alive…"

He brought her hand slowly to his lips and tenderly kissed all of her fingers, one after the other… almost as if to stop them from doing anything dumb.

His words were… right… and honest to her ears. They soothed and calmed her somewhat until only a low, tolerable fear and doubt remained… She swore, however, not to forget it, as she was sure he wouldn't either. She couldn't say whether what she had seen was something that had happened, would happen or potentially could happen… but if its purpose was to alarm, it had definitely done its job.

Still, she agreed with his point… there was no alternative in sight… and she, too, would rather eat a whole nest of Skulltulas before leaving the Tree to its fate, knowing how much it meant to him… So, blessedly, it truly did matter very little… and her idiotic, opaque phantasm hadn't succeeded in forcing a decision upon them, which they had no possible way of making with prudence and which could lead them to a potentially catastrophic path. It was almost funny how much of a relief that was…

"You are right… you are right…" she repeated, trying to finally pull herself fully back into reality. "We will keep it in mind… but until we know its meaning, we will continue with our plan." Her confirmation brought a smile of ease and thankfulness to his lips. He pulled her back to her feet by her hands and planted a quick, cheeky peck on her lips. As if she wasn't confuddled enough already…

"Focus on the door, would you?" she muttered in mock irritation, unable to hide a sheepish grin.

"By your orders, my princess!" he quipped and had already turned back around. Still incensed by her unasked-for second sight, she hoped this little intermezzo would at least serve some purpose in the future and would turn out to be a mere waste of time. Then, after giving herself a mental wake-up-knock over the head, she joined her wise protector in front of the door.

"Is there a reason to believe that this one won't work like the others?" he asked the world in general.

"Not that I can see…" she answered hesitantly, bending forward so she could better scrutinize the myriads of tiny carvings off of the main illustration. They very much had the look and feel of letters or some kind, but she couldn't make sense of them. The language of the forest children, maybe? Or, considerably more far-fetched, yet even more fascinating, that of nature itself?

"There is no glowing when I touch it…" she heard him say pensively.

Pursing her lips while thinking, her eyes frisked the thousands of symbols on all sides of the central image. She could feel her mind whirring to activity, something she wholly enjoyed. Her eyeballs flew back and forth, her tongue moving with unspoken words as her brain worked furiously.

"It's three…" she mumbled, unable to contain her thought processes. Link gazed at her confusedly, then seemed to understand and stepped out of her way. Another half-minute she scrutinized it, then stepped forward finally and gingerly touched a single word of the alien language. Immediately, it flared up, the fine lines of the relief burning with a strong blue flame. She couldn't hide her wide, triumphant smile as she gazed back at her baffled knight.

"It's all in threes! Three in the very centre, fighting, three dragons above, each representing one of the three goddesses. The unknown script around it repeats the same three sentences, each comprised of three groups of three words. And in the middle of each sentence stands one word that is carved deeper and with extra care. Like this one!" she pointed to another one that, to her, looked far more weighty than the ones around it, almost as if a writer had written it in nothing but capital letters.

Link ogled the indicated symbols, looked at the surrounding ones, looked back, then gazed back at her, his expression slightly lost.

Undeterred, she continued. "Now, if we extrapolate from the theme of threes and the more bold letters, repeated hundredfold almost as in prayer, it is likely they signify either the Goddesses' names or some aspect of them in this script. Since we previously entered doors by drawing the symbol of Farore's leaf, I assumed that this is where the opening mechanism to this gate would lie as well. And, as the one thing completely missing from such an eikon honouring the Goddesses is a symbol of the Triforce, I thought it would stand to reason that we need to find the symbols that would form a perfect triangle with the dreadful scene in the middle. And indeed, it is carved in a way that only one of the names is directly above, only one of the repeating second names is down and to the right and precisely one of the last is down and to the left. I touched the one down and left, the one for Nayru. Help me up so I can reach Din!" she finished her exposition with a prompt. Expectantly, she stared at him, who didn't move a muscle and only ogled "You garnered all this… from a language you don't understand… in less than two minutes?!" he spluttered, completely flabbergasted.

Her brow furrowed slightly, suddenly unsure. "Well I… err… yes?" she half replied, half asked, completely uncertain at the moment whether he was shocked or miffed or unsympathetic or…

"Bloody hell, Dumpling, that is amazing! And mildly scary… But mostly amazing!" he delighted, all beaming with admiration. Even without that fiercely proud glint in his eyes, it would have been quite enough to send her tumbling uncontrollably down the valley of embarrassment… Now she didn't know where to look, what to do with her suddenly sweating hands, or how to hide her instantly fiery red face. "I… It's not really all that…" she stammered, partly enjoying, partly hating the sheepish smile that formed on her face. If only everyone had reacted with such enthusiasm to her little moments of brilliance… 'If they had, he wouldn't be so special…' her second thoughts supplied softly.

"Stop staring and help me up, will you?" she ordered brusquely, looking away from his radiant expression before she turned even redder and grinned from ear to ear, wholly unable to stop herself.

"At once, your worship! I cannot prostrate myself enough before your brilliance!" he exclaimed histrionically and knelt down with his face pressed against the ground. Goddess above, how she wanted to retort with something clever and scathing… but this unholy mixture of bashfulness and beaming, unaccustomed pride turned her 'brilliant' brain to useless mush. Oh well… even when she couldn't verbally put her darling parvenu back in his place verbally, she'd still get the pleasure of, literally, stepping on him… which she planned to do with a certain affectionate vindictiveness.

With well practiced agility she slipped out of her boots, after a day of Link's forced marches one couldn't yank off the blasted things quick enough, and gingerly stepped onto his shoulders. Without so much as a grunt he carefully arose, taking great care not to make any sudden movements. She did have the enormous door to support herself, but still… his slim shoulders were not an ideal place to stand.

Even with their combined height she still had to stretch as far as she could for her fingers to reach the symbol… After all his praise she hoped to all Three that her first hit hadn't been a fluke… A slightly hot jolt coursed through her fingers and to her relief the Name of Din now sparkled in a pinkish red fire.

"Very nice!" she heard his voice from below and saw him beam up at her from between her feet. Even if she had wanted, she couldn't resist smiling back widely, especially given the rather peculiar perspective. Something in his grin, however, made her mischief-alarm ring like mad.

"Oh no! No nonono NO, you miscreant! You'll let me down like a princess this instant!" she shrieked, as his smirk grew wider and nastier with every passing moment.

"Your word…" he uttered gently before swiftly stepping to the side. Naturally she instantly toppled over to the left with a very undignified squawk and landed perfectly horizontally in his arms. Once her brain had once again emerged from full panic, she had to use every last ounce of her royal self-mastery not deal him a violent slap to his infuriatingly self-satisfied grin. Her hand had already twitched in the right direction, but she would have missed anyway, as he, quick as a prankish kitten, stole a sweet kiss from her lips.

"You're the only princess I ever plan on knowing… Don't tell me this wasn't how you're supposed to treat one! I would feel just terrible, if I have caught myself in a faux pas!" he cooed impishly, his doe-eyed innocence disarming all her fury in one masterful stroke. With her expression as grim as she could make it, she guided her free hand slowly to his ever unruly hair. It took quite a theatrical effort to keep her demeanour ireful, but the brief flicker of uncertainty in his gorgeous eyes when her fingers fiercely gripped his dark blonde strands was worth it. Serves you right to be scared! …but only briefly…

With a probably slightly painful pull on his hair she guided him back to her lips. The feeling of liquid electricity that seemed to jolt from his body sent wave after wave of sparkling excitement through her every cell… as it always had… and, hopefully, as it always will. Her hand, his thatch still firmly grasped, pulled him against her with almost desperate longing. She had no clue what was waiting for them beyond this final door… what horrors, what adversity they would be forced to face… and, she suspected, neither did he. What were their chances of living through it unscathed? Unknown… Quite frankly, she had to admit to herself that she was scared out of her mind. And even though he did his very best to show only calm demeanour, she felt his soul vibrating below.

…She did not want to think of this as a farewell-kiss… but if that's what it was, at least it happened.

Exceedingly slowly, she allowed him to draw back, savouring every moment their lips still touched. When they both opened their eyes, his gaze told her everything she needed to know… He was very aware what this kiss had meant… and that it might be their last…

"Payment…" she whispered, her voice quite raw. "For your insolence, sausage knight…"

"After all this is done, dumpling, I'll pay you back in full… with whatever you desire…" he replied, so softly that only she could hear.

"You better…" Zelda cawed, absentmindedly smoothing his hair, which she had made a complete mess of.

With considerable reluctance she allowed herself to be removed from his arms and they both took positions in front of the door. Her hand hovered readily over the last highlighted symbols, the name of Farore.

"Ready?" she asked, her heart hammering in her chest.

"Ready." he said, sword in hand, his stance bow-taut.

The last name erupted in green flame… and a low, threatening grumble emerged from deep within the Tree.

* * *

Link

The three symbols, forming a perfect triangle around the middle depiction of what could only be a final confrontation, turned a radiant white. The wood groaned in enormous stress as the massive gate slowly lifted upwards, centimetre for centimetre.

Absentmindedly, he licked over his lips… they still tasted of her… All this time he had tried to keep the possibility of failure, of death, as far away from his conscience as he could… Zelda's kiss, however, had made that eventuality exceedingly obvious. This was no fairy-tale… All the blood, death and misery had already made that perfectly clear.

He could lose her… She could lose him… They might have just shared their very last moment together.

He decided, however, that the awareness he now had was the right path. It was quite simply even stronger motivation not to let any of that happen.

The portal opened with a cacophony of pained creaking… He could almost feel the strain the Deku Tree put on Himself to open their way… to allow them access to this sanctuary… to drive out the evil within.

Once the door had elevated past hip height, they both nodded at each other. Then, with one fluid motion they ducked through it and entered the final chamber.

Link thought he was prepared… he wasn't.

The room was gargantuan… he couldn't even give an approximate estimation. It mattered little, however, for most of it was made impassable. His mouth was as dry as the Gerudo sands when his brain finally recognized what the obstacle was. About three quarters of the gigantic hall was covered with the skeletal remains of what only could be one of the dragons… He'd had no idea they were of such an impossible size. Among the by now disorderly pile of bones he saw vertebrae, ribs and other unidentifiable pieces… every last one was bigger than the largest Hylian!

Swallowing the pitiful amount of spit he still had, he finally dared to look directly in front… where what only could be the skull sat idly, facing the door, and them, directly. Even though every instinct told him this thing could and would never move again, he still felt his knees twitch to get hastily out of the way… the lipless, cruel teeth, longer than Link's entire body, seemed bared in a cruel, sardonic grin. He could sense Zelda tremble beside him… he would be surprised if his hands were still…

The dragon was dead… He didn't know what he had expected, but that hadn't been it.

The tremendous skeleton was frightening… as was the strange air of failure that surrounded it… but what disturbed him the most was the lone, sinister figure, clad all in black, that lay casually, almost provocatively, on top of the beast's snout. The nonchalant way the witch gazed at them did not bode well…

"Too bad. You're late! I already murdered your precious oversized worm!" she cooed, then giggled in a way that made his skin crawl.

Still… "Horseshit." he replied as calmly as he could. "Its bones are bare and bleached. It's been dead for decades."

The woman's unsettling, red eyes seemed to flare… for an instant he thought that the entire hall was tinged in a bloody glow… but it was so short, he wasn't sure that his imagination hadn't run wild.

She laughed in an almost innocent, girlish laugh and slowly got up, stretching like a lazy cat. "Well well! Not quite as gullible as I'd hoped! I'm going to have a hard time with you, won't I!" she smarmed filthily.

When she stood, she shook out her long, raven hair as if she didn't have a care in the world. His palms were sweaty and his heart raced… all while this vile temptress played coy! It annoyed him so much he subconsciously gnashed his teeth. She eyed him, her hands lifting her midnight strands of hair and lusciously dropping them, smiling hungrily… ignoring Zelda completely. She was wickedly beautiful, he couldn't help but notice… but her beauty was just as terrible as the rest of her. Normally he didn't sense people like his princess would… This woman he felt! Like a nail driven into his flesh he felt her, a dark aura pulsing with evil might.

She winked at him! His features contorted by themselves, showing clear disgust. Who does this bitch think she is?! He was nothing but repulsed by the villainous glint in her crimson eyes… the maliciousness… the hint of amusement at the impending suffering of others…

Suddenly, Link's eyes widened in realization. This was all deliberate! She was playing for time! With her clear lack of aggression she was wasting away precious seconds as she made the Tree languish… somehow…

But would he spring her trap if he initiated hostilities? Doubtlessly… but sadly, time was not on his side.

Steadily, without taking the devil woman from his sight, he stuck his sword into the wooden ground just enough so it stood ready to be re-grabbed. Without delay he armed himself with his bow.

"Well now… that is hardly very- ack!" she purred, the ducked with a surprised squawk as Link's arrow flew right at her smirking face.

When she rose again, her self-indulgent smile was gone… and had been replaced by a nasty grimace of rage, turning the fine lines of her face to a demonic visage. His smile, however, slowly curled his lips. If this monster in woman's clothing thought that he was too noble to use a readily presented advantage, she was sorely mistaken. She had aptly demonstrated she was a lieutenant of their adversary… And, most importantly: He was no noble.

With a certain gusto, he drew another projectile from his quiver. If she decided to stay on her perch, well exposed, he would not hesitate to accept her offer as target practice! This Tree–murdering wench would learn what she could expect from him! Introducing wood-charring Chus to this sanctuary… Brain washing Veneli's father… Destroying the Rito people's peaceful life, leaving them to vegetate in fear… Working with the unknown power that threatened to engulf the whole world in flames… and that had tried multiple times to end Zelda's life… And now this piece of utter shit had the audacity to stand there, feigning innocence?!

Righteous fury burned in him like a white-hot flame as he nocked the arrow and aimed. He loosed… and the brief look of surprise on her features turned to a grin that chilled his skin.

With an almost casual flick of her arm she caught the arrow aimed right at her heart… and her smirk turned almost reptilian. "How very interesting!" she said, the girlish tone of voice replaced with a hungry, bone-freezing snarl. The red in her eyes flared diabolically and the very air around her seemed to be drawn in and darken, as if it were sucked into a black hole of pure lust for blood.

He could hear Zelda gasp and instinctively step behind him. His own stomach cramped at the wave of tangible craving for violence and destruction… but even though it was deeply disturbing to feel such vile desire from something that looked like a young, slender girl, and even though it felt as if it could burn away the hair on his body, it only served to strengthened his determination. He didn't budge a millimetre.

"Stop wasting time and get down here, you disgusting creature!" he hissed as he drew yet another arrow.

"As you wish… I need to return this to you anyway." she cackled, then casually stepped off the skull. The drop was at least five metres… her black clothes fluttered around her… though not enough! With sudden certainty, Link understood how heavy her cloak must be… that meant either hidden armour or, far more likely, a multitude of secret weapons!

Despite the height of her jump the evil witch landed with impossibly smooth grace, bending only slightly and… Link instinctively braced himself!

She instantly catapulted herself towards him with outrageous speed. His eyes turned wide as he saw her approach quicker than a horse in full gallop. With a startled grunt the only thing he could do was try to block with his bow! Time slowed to a breathless crawl as the demon-woman thrust his own arrow at him… and he barely spotted something glint in her other hand. Even with everything decelerated, her movements were almost too quick to follow… and of terrible dexterity.

Feeling suddenly painfully sluggish he stepped backwards and brought his bow between her approaching arms. The arrow was just a decoy meant to open him up for her real attack with the knife. With both hands he twisted his wooden weapon, therefore deflecting her right hand to the left and her left to the right.

Sadly, he had underestimated her deviousness… as she dropped the useless arrow it turned out she had hidden an extremely fine stiletto underneath! Her enraged grimace turned to a devilish smile as she brought her hand back from where he had deflected it, ready to plunge the knife into his body.

Out of options, he pulled his bow back to bring it between the evil little blade and him. He winced as he saw it bite into the pliable wood, ruining the present he had gotten from Marten so long ago. With renewed anger he shifted his grip so he could bend it against its curve, therefore pinching her weapon in its own notch, effectively trapping it. Still fearing her other dagger he twisted away from her free hand, pulling his marred bow with him with all his weight. He used her considerable momentum and added his own by stepping out of the way, with only her fingers connecting the two… and the angle quickly becoming unsupportable. Either she let go, or her wrist would snap.

Her hand left the slim grip as expected and his own grabbed it before it fell to the ground. Maybe he could have immediately followed up with an attack of his own, but for now he was too busy being incredulously thankful that he had survived her assault!

Turned out he had very little time to breathe. Nimble as a snake she turned around and threw her second blade with crazy impetus.

No time to think, not even a millisecond! With a desperate outcry he brought his right, his weaker hand, up to protect his head. He felt the knife connect with his fingers and he finished his lightning fast move, averting the projectile from his face. With gritted teeth and fibrillating heart he waited… either for the sensation of his fingers holding cold steel… or for the sharp, hot pain of his impaled flesh.

When he finally dared to look at his hand, he nearly laughed in relief at the sight of a harmless steel grip lying inconspicuously in his palm. Instead he assumed a fighting stance, now with each hand holding one of the evil little things.

Zelda stepped close again. She had just barely been able to dodge out of the way when he had redirected their enemy onwards. His mind raced, trying to catch up with all that had happened in the last, instinct driven seconds. The witch had immediately assaulted him… she had hardly even paid attention to his protégé! He was thankful for that… but it was unexpected. So far every attack from agents of the Threat had seemed to be directed at the Princess of Light… Had this demon-woman just identified him as the bigger threat? Or was there more to it all?

The enemy had regained her balance and already two more of the fine blades were in her hands. He hadn't even noticed when she had produced them… Once again he reminded himself not to trust a single movement this girl made.

She weaved back and forth in an almost dance-like combat stance, looking fearsomely elegant and almost weightless as she glided about. She grinned, apparently amused by it all… but… He wasn't sure, but there seemed to be a slight hint of pain in her ever so minimally furrowed brow, her eyes opened a tad too widely…

"If you attack, use the range of your rapier. Also she goes mostly for the throat of face." he whispered so lowly that he wasn't even sure whether Zelda had heard… thankfully, he sensed her nod… and heard the frightened tremolo in her breathing. Goddess, he hoped that she-devil would continue to focus on him… although he wasn't at all sure he would survive their next encounter.

Ever so slowly he shuffled backwards to where his sword was still sticking from the ground.

"Oh no no!" the woman growled, her face once again contorting nastily… Then rushed at him again with immense speed.

This time, however, Link expected it.

Stepping forward to meet his adversary, he engaged her, trying to use his slightly longer range as an advantage.

Sir Alistair's many gruelling hours of training paid off… he was able to keep track of both her deadly hands, although just barely. The knives were worthless for defence, so what resulted was a wild dance of thrusts, cuts, deflections with elbows and wrists and furious counters… and that at blazing speed.

Had he had any time to think, he would have thanked his swordmaster for his insistence on training with many different kinds of arms… now he had to focus all his talent to stay alive!

The woman was frighteningly competent. Twisting her knives from normal to backhand grip with a velocity he couldn't even begin to match, she seemed to attack from every direction at once. It took less than two seconds at their pace for him to realize that he was lost. This was an enemy with far greater experience… and, either through coincidence or devious plan, she had tricked him into using a weapon of her choosing… and to top it all of, he had to make sure that his charge was out of harms way!

With his teeth bared in furious concentration he was more and more pressed into a purely defensive position, struggling to keep up even with that. His arms and shoulders burnt with the strain, but she showed no sign of slowing. Any moment, he would feel the nasty, cold bite of one of her…

A long, silvery flash darted through their mêlée, forcing the evil wench to pull back her hands with a startled gasp. Zelda's thrust had come with remarkable accuracy, barely interrupting his motions while putting the Shiekah off balance!

He darted forward, meaning to use the moment of shock for his long sought counter attack. He wouldn't, however, make the same mistake of engaging her hand to hand… Using every last bit of stretch his body would give, he furiously stomp-kicked her chest with a primal roar.

Having received all his momentum she flew backwards with a choked croak… but the heavy landing he had hoped for failed to happen. With admirable smoothness the vile creature rolled backwards and stood right away, although she still slid rearwards a metre or more to brake.

When she looked back up, she grinned with no sign that his kick that would have knocked over a horse had any lasting effect.

Link felt cold crawling up his spine… whatever fell magic surrounded this woman, he couldn't seem to pierce it!

No… wait! A tiny trickle of blood ran down her chin! And even though she once again stood straight and unburdened, he could see her chest rise and fall quickly… much quicker than his! And…

"Link… her breath!" Zelda whispered anxiously. She had noticed it too then. A tiny wheeze came from the witch with every drawing of air… Maybe it had been there before, he thought… subliminally… but now it was clearly audible! But that could only mean… that she had been hurt even before their encounter! And from the way she breathed, she was missing a good portion of her normal lung volume! Dear goddess… if they had met while she was hale…

While he pondered all this with incredible haste, he made a quick lunge for his sword. This time his enemy had no time to prevent him.

Din's fury it felt good to hold his own steel! For the lack of a shield he kept one of her daggers in his right… you never knew.

"Stand behind my right shoulder! I keep her engaged, you attack when you see an opening!" he growled. Her long rapier would benefit his right side, where he only had a short weapon, much better… besides, she was right handed.

This time the woman approached slowly… her bloodlust seemed to increase with every passing second… it broke against his iron will like water against rock, yet still it nauseated him to his core.

With infuriating slowness she licked the blood from her chin… then threw her knife at Zelda. It missed… by a surprisingly wide margin, but it still had effect enough. His princess ducked away, startled… and the demon woman used that moment to attack.

Once again Link found himself in a brawl with this far more experienced, devious foe. His sword gave him range, but quick as he was with it, it still lacked speed. Shifting his weight, he adopted a new tactic. Slowly advancing and using his blade solely for defence with quick jabs, he tried to force her to attack his right while keeping her off balance. He succeeded in driving her before him, his left perfectly protected from her short weapons, while leaving his right deliberately open. He hoped his guardian angel would be ready…

Snarling in fury the woman swiped his blade to the side and went to stab his right torso with terrible alacrity. Grunting in surprise he barely deflected her knife with his right hand, feeling the blade slice through his already ruined tunic as if it were butter. With widening eyes, he realized that she would just have to stretch her elbow to deal him a potentially fatal wound… then a golden shimmer flashed in the corner of his sight.

Zelda ducked under his arm and thrust upwards, executing his plan perfectly. The evildoer tried to dodge hastily, having thought the girl too frightened to attack with such precision… Only her ungodly speed saved her…

The wickedly sharp rapier cut deeply into her left arm and also bit into her brow, though just enough to sting. The woman hissed, more in rage than in pain, retreated two steps and immediately charged once more.

Zelda reacted quickly and jabbed high once again, trying to keep her at distance. Link swiftly changed his angle to complement his little fencer's attack and stabbed low. With a frustrated howl the witch was unable to follow through with her attack, but quickly reengaged anyway.

Her celerity was unreal! Grunting and screaming she swiped furiously at their longer weapons, trying ceaselessly to find a weak point. The princess' sword moved with impressively quick strikes, preferring tiny fast stabs so she could perfectly utilize her range… Link let her dictate the rhythm while focussing on both their defences and the occasional attack from an angle that supplemented her own. His head smoked from the immensely difficult task of keeping two enemy weapons and his ally's in mind while fighting, so that he ensured unbroken defence and effective offence.

He could hear his beloved's quick, gasping breath and felt his own focus slowly dwindle… Please, Goddess! Let this monster of a woman tire already! How can she keep fighting like this when she is already struggling for air?!

Suddenly, with an unhylian screech of pure rage the woman seemed to contort and cramp. Instantly, Link knew something was very wrong… and not a moment later a surge of such unearthly, violent frenzy assaulted his mind that it nearly scorched his fighting spirit. For a tiny second he wanted to run, to drop his sword and flee from this insurmountable evil, this unbeatable agent of destruction in front of him, wanted to cower, grovel at her feet, pray to her that she might spare him.

He did not know what strength navigated him through this onslaught of fear, but the moment passed… and not an instant too soon! Her spasms ended as quickly as they had come and when she looked back up… Those eyes, the bloody eyes of a Shiekah burned with a fire from hell, seemed to radiate the flaming promise of black death. These no longer were the eyes of any living being… They were gates into the abyss itself!

Shocked to his very core, all he could do was raise his sword in defence of her next attack. The demon no longer cared. She stormed directly into his blade, suffering a deep gash to her neck… to Link's horror, there was no blood. Terrified, he saw in frightening slow-motion as two fine, wicked knives drew ever closer… just 15 centimetres away… just ten…

As a last, desperate attempt he stepped forward, applying pressure to his sword against her neck. He couldn't stop her any more… maybe he could still deflect her…

Twisting around to only present her his slender side and bringing his own knife forward, he tried something ridiculous. Her right knife would miss thanks to him dysbalancing her… but her left aimed right at his heart. He had no time… and only one chance!

Hoping to all goddesses that might listen that his precision didn't fail him now, he slid his own tiny dagger between his skin and her lethal steel, trying to find the perfect angle… What a chest plate normally did, he would have to do with a knife of hardly once centimetre breadth.

He could see the beastly triumph in her face, that demonic grin that hardly even looked natural any more. She thought she had him.

Not an option!

The tip of her weapon hit the 'broad' side of his… every millisecond felt like a minute as his fingers were shaken with the harrowing vibrations of metal scraping against metal...

The teeth-rattling noise ended and her instrument of death glided off harmlessly. With both her knives deflected and his blade to her neck, he had-

With a motion he'd thought irreconcilable with life her head twisted away, her spine bent around his sword-arm and her forehead rammed into his nose and lips with a sickening crunch. His neck snapped back and he keeled over, too shocked even to scream. He hit the floor hard, the fire in his face ignited, driving evil jolts of pain through his head, making his eyes tear up and his vision blurry. A girl's scream of horror kept him from losing his conscious.

His nose was crushed, the noise of splintering bone had left no doubt… he couldn't breathe through it either…

Even though his head swam in vertigo, he jumped up immediately and rushed back towards his foe before she could continue her attack on Zelda. With his vision mostly gone, he had to rely on his hearing… and on pain to be fuel for strength. But it quickly became clear that, now more than ever, he was hopelessly outmatched. Driven by terror, his senses flared up to new heights… yet she moved with such impossible grace, such incredible ease… he neither heard her nor felt her feet touch the ground. He was blind! He swung his sword around wildly, panic clawing at his back… At any second he expected the hot, sharp agony of one of those blades in his body. But that would be her end too! He gritted his teeth in last, moribund determination. If he felt her lethal sting, his sword would be there to respond in kind!

No… no that is impossible… Sudden realization dawned in his panicky mind. His dread-fuelled senses perceived the groan of wood under its own weight… the wind outside, beyond metres of bark, was a howling tempest to his ears… He felt Zelda's fibrillating heartbeat through the soles of his shoes…

There was no way he couldn't sense her too!

Ceasing his wild flailing, he focussed solely on his ears. No footsteps… no twirling and stabbing of little blades… But a third drawing of breath!

Trusting his instinct he threw his dagger without delay. A startled gasp made his lips curl into a sardonic smile.

"You swine!" the witch roared from across the room. He opened his eyes, his smile already crooked from the pain… except there was none. Almost as if a curtain was lifted, the illusion was taken from his eyes, his ears, his nerves… His sight was clear, his face unbroken.

He glanced at Zelda, equally surprised and dazed as he. Their adversary's next furious scream, however, quickly brought their attention back.

"You filthy insects! Slaves! Dogs of your precious Goddesses and their tyranny! How dare you?!" Her breath came quickly, a sheen of sweat on her face. He couldn't say when she had sicced her phantasm on them, or if he had actually really fought her at all… she did appear unwounded however…

A nasty grin spread on his lips. "My turn!" he growled and sped off.

Her eyes widened, red Shiekah eyes full of hatred and filled with evil glow… but not those pits of hell he had seen earlier.

His sword arced widely, forcing her to duck where his boot waited. She twisted out of the way with uncanny speed, her knife slicing after his foot, but hitting only air. His blade never resting, he brought it back around for a low swing aimed at her feet. She jumped… right into his trap. With ire, born from being so easily deceived, he changed direction mid swing and yanked his steel directly upwards with a rather inelegant, yet very forceful motion.

With a startled grunt she twisted her knives into an underhanded grip and blocked with both of them side by side. A measly defence against a blow as fierce as his!

They stopped the bite of his blade, but as her little letter openers had no weight to them, his momentum smashed into her arms and consequently into her chest. He heard the air being driven from her lungs… and once again perceived that sickly wheezing and… bubbling from inside her.

Her lungs were punctured!

With masterful control she spun in mid air and landed back on her feet, taking a deep breath of air. Her formerly neatly bound hair hung in a few strands into her face… but despite the pain and respiratory distress she had to feel, she glared as aggressively and unperturbedly as ever… and to his renewed fear, she grinned.

"I'm beginning to see… why you are… the Goddess' champion, boy…" she snarled.

Link swallowed sour spit. He had surprised her with his quick recovery… but little more.

Without any warning she stormed at him, throwing both her knives and immediately producing two new ones.

He swiped them away with a strangled yelp, then she was on him, a veritable tornado of tiny blades and death. His sword felt slow and cumbersome against her lithe attacks. With no other option he grabbed one of his arrows with his right hand so he would at least have something, anything to block the odd attack.

She twisted and turned and snaked around his defences, again and again, only barely escaped by last second manoeuvring. The air was filled with a staccato of hits, scrapes and clacks of metal against metal. More than once he succeeded in knocking a knife from her fingers, but faster than he could look another one had taken its place. He hoped Zelda wouldn't interfere... at the insane rate they were turning, parting rejoining and trading places… sadly, at her skill level it would be too risky. She might easily hit him too!

But like this, he couldn't win… she was too good! He had to change the status quo…

Risking a lot, he stepped forward widely in one of the tiny moments she didn't have one of her knives approaching his flesh and thrust right at her face. He hoped to drive her off of him, if only for a few seconds… A mistake.

Quick and fluent as water she ducked to his right and with unrelenting force kicked upwards between his now spread legs.

A sharp cry, then a feeble wheeze came from his lips as all strength seeped from his body and he crumpled into a heap. He wanted to scream, wail out the unimaginable torture that surged through his entire body… he couldn't even do that. He gasped for air… it wouldn't come. Clutching at his lower body he rolled on the floor, hoping, praying for the pain to end… almost forgetting that every second could be his last… almost.

"Too bad, boy… fun's over!" the she-devil cooed, her playfulness back in her voice. He saw her through teary eyes, a few paces off, grinning as if nothing could make her happier than seeing him like this. Then she ran at him… he couldn't move…

Two long shapely legs planted themselves firmly in front of him…

No! No please! Don't do this, run! Take me, leave her be!

He wanted to shout it so loudly that it shook the Tree, but hardly a sigh escaped. He saw the witch approach his beloved in terrible slow-motion, weapons at the ready…

Please…

Then the unthinkable happened! The Shiekah stopped, screeched to a halt just out of range of Zelda's rapier. A look of disgust on her face… and regret…

"Want to die so soon, Princess of Light? Hmm… although thinking about it… what would be more delectable? Killing you and watch his despair? Or kill him and watch the light disappear from those big, lovely eyes of yours?" Her words oozed hatred and malice… and thorough enjoyment of the idea.

Zelda didn't move an inch… he couldn't see her expression…

"You will do neither. You have yet to attack me a single time, even though you have had plenty of opportunity. Even with your little illusion, you did nothing but ignore me entirely. You are forbidden from touching me. Back off!" she spat, stepping forward and poking with her slim blade.

The murderous demoness retreated, fangs bared and looking ready to explode with fury.

"Quite a gamble, girly… Deadly if you miscalculate…" she hissed, twirling her knifes with impressive speed, but her words were feckless. She had been found out…

"Back. Off!" Zelda repeated, nothing but rancour in her usually so bright and pretty voice.

The woman sighed theatrically and lowered her arms. "Too bad… you miscalculate!"

She dashed at his princess. He was on his knees by now, but so terribly far away… and still so breathless he couldn't even shout.

With a desultory move she twisted the rapier from Zelda's hand, then boxed her viciously in her stomach. She bent over, but the Shiekah yanked her back up by her chin so she could look directly into her eyes. "Kill you: no. Get you out of my way: yes!" she growled and pulled Zelda with her, holding her just by her chin. He crawled after her, his strength returning so terribly slowly…

She flailed and kicked, but to no avail. Slim this woman might be… but her potency was demonic! Finally he managed to stand on his feet and run… they were almost at the door!

With an angry grunt the witch threw his guardian angel out so she landed heavily against the wall, then crumpled on the floor, groaning. With a casual snap of her finger the enormous door shook briefly… then fell… It smashed into the ground with a deafening noise that coursed like a wave through the entire tree, causing his still wobbly knees to falter.

"Now, a little privacy… though I'm sure she can sense everything that I'm going to do to you… Trust me! She will feel every. Last. Little. Cut. As if it were her own flesh..."

He gazed up into the terrible, red eyes. They beamed with bloodlust, hunger… and glee.

Link's rage exploded like never before, instantly negating the agony in his gut, filling all his muscles with liquid fire! The fingers of his left hand burned almost painfully as all colour around seemed to drain. There was no more Tree, no more dragon, no more pain… just his enemy directly in front… and the monumental power of his inner flame directly between them!

With a furious roar he swung his sword in a wide arc, the heat in his palm exploding into blazing green energy, directed by his blade towards his foe, a beam of pure, searing hot magic that shot unstoppably at the agent of the Threat.

With a panicked squawk she dived out of the way, her clothes and hair smoking simply from being in the proximity of his attack.

He stormed forward, his whole body flooded with just, passionate light, and was upon her before she had time to readjust.

His sword was a blur… too quick for a normal man's eyes, every strike as precise as if he'd had days to plan it… When before her prowess had immediately put him on the defensive, struggling to keep up, he was now driving her before her like a leaf before the storm. She danced, weaved and dodged, but suddenly her movements seemed slow, sluggish even… Even though he had but one weapon, he not only defended against two, but did so without effort, without having to evade himself… one continuous, fluid motion she had to use all her skill to protect herself against.

And he was only getting started…

With an almost casual flick of his wrist he swiped both her knives from her hand, stepped in close to ram his left elbow into her temple in one smooth move. Then, as she was reeling he grabbed her collar with his right, lifted her off the ground like he would a child, then smashed her shoulder first back on the ground. He was just about to end it when a gleaming flash of light erupted from somewhere between them, causing him to shield his eyes. He felt her twisting out of his grip and scuttle away…

He couldn't see… it mattered not. His ears pointed the way.

Swiftly he retrieved one of her knives and threw it as accurately as if he had seen his quarry. She just gasped as the fine blade bit into her calf, as he had knocked the last bit of breath cleanly out of her.

His vision slowly returning, he saw her prone a few metres away. He approached, measured, without haste… An avenger of light, he aimed to deal justice, here and now.

"Stop! Halt, please!" she croaked, and for the first time there was genuine fear in her eyes. She had seen just how far he was beyond her… at least for the moment…

"I yield! Truly, please!"

His senses sharpened to infinity, he spotted the almost inconspicuous way she held her hand, hiding some devilry inside. He cared little… Even without such obvious signs he would not, could not have believed a creature such as her.

As he continued his slow gait towards her she threw a tiny sphere right at his face… a sphere with a short, glowing fuse… An almost gentle cut as it flew towards him and he had severed it with hardly a thought. It landed harmlessly somewhere behind him. His approach was not even slowed by a single step.

"Fucking, cheating son of a whore!" she spat in impotent rage. "In any normal fight I would have killed you!"

Almost sadly, he shook his head. "You miscalculate…" he repeated her words from earlier. "I am not here for a fight. I am only here to wipe your filth from this place."

Her eyes widened further as fear turned to terror. She seemed to have realized that whatever chance for quarter she might have had, she had long squandered… None would be forthcoming, not after all her threats, all her manipulations and all her actions. He saw in her gaze that she didn't understand… couldn't understand that there was no bloodlust, no mindless fury, no malicious glee over a defeated enemy in his eyes… Passion, yes… but no desire to end life… just sombre, unbreakable determination. She didn't understand such a thing any more… and it scared her to death.

"No… No wait!" she stammered, scooting away while dragging her impaled leg behind.

He quickened his steps, unwilling to see this pathetic display continue… and feeling the divine wind that gave him strength abate fast.

With a panicked screech she stretched out her hand, her fingers bent like claws. Blackness wafted from it and her eyes burnt with evil fire. Before he could so much as gasp, her fell sorcery bored itself into his head, drilled into his mind and…

Peace. Nothing but pure, white serenity engulfed him like a mother's embrace… No pain… all the burning from his sore muscles was taken away… as if he were lying down in the softest of feather beds… All was as it should be. He looked at the sword in his hand, raised high as if ready to strike down… He wondered why, as there was no enemy here… He lowered it until the tip scraped against the ground. It was heavy and cumbersome… Vaguely he remembered how much he'd had to fight… that was all behind him now. All was as it should be…

The beautiful woman in front of him smiled at him as she stood up… and he smiled back.

* * *

Zelda

Something cut through her conscious like black lightning and ripped her feeble connection to her Link to shreds.

She had pushed and clawed at the massive slab of wood to no avail, with only that miniscule thread remaining to tell her of the happenings inside the boneyard… Now even that had been severed!

She had felt him strengthen again, regain his power… and far beyond! He rose to new heights, carried on a force that wasn't his own… and yet… it was. She had sensed his triumph… and the sorrow it brought with it. Then suddenly, as if she had been slapped, all extended perception had ceased.

Could that mean…?! All three goddesses in heaven, no!

Zelda closed her eyes, trying to find focus. All her life she had desperately sought to close her mind from all the vicious assaults, from all the hostile sensations that wanted to invade… that made a little girl in her bed feel as if she were surrounded, touched and assailed by murderers, monsters and darkness itself…

Now, in this moment when nothing else mattered, she tried to open her soul with not a shred of hesitation… and found that she could not. Her own mind bristled against her will, its well honed defences refusing to stand down… She gritted her teeth, dug her nails painfully into the unyielding wood of the door until they almost splintered, but something inside her would not permit her access. The tiny forays she had occasionally allowed had been hurtful enough… now her innermost actively fought against her as she attempted to open the gates. Something within… pushed her back… held the gates shut…

Desperate to find him, any trace of the thread that connected them she re-focused. There was something… a black spot on her mental map… she tried getting through, but her attempts were feeble, untrained… much like her blank fingers against this mountainous door, her weak soul couldn't even dent the malicious cocoon the enemy had spun around him.

Ready to resort to anything, she wanted to attack her directly, assault the witch's mind, angry and frantic enough to want to tear it asunder… Hopeless… this was not the mind of some demented monster, but the iron will and mental precision of a trained killer. Her pathetic, dull scratches were too slow, too clumsy and imprecise…

Screaming at herself in frustration, she changed tactic. Giving up was out of the question! Not until… not until she knew… if he…

Taking a few steps back, her legs quaking and her head pounding with dull pain from where it had impacted against the wall, she concentrated on the door itself. It was dead… the last trickle of magic from the Tree had run dry. But if that vile bitch could send it plunging to the ground with a snap of her finger, she should bloody well be able to lift it back up! What was the use in being the freaking 'princess of light' if she couldn't even do that?!

Focus… nothing else matters… like Link said… just her and this enormous slab of wood…

…nothing… not even the slightest hint of the arcane…

She gritted her teeth, letting out a hiss of rage and disappointment in herself. Where did that fucking magic even come from?! She didn't feel any of it, at any point! Why was it so damned fickle? How could she ever learn to coax it from the place where it hid, if she didn't even know where to start looking? And with second she wasted… Link might…

Stop. Focus. Focus as you focused on the door earlier, when you tried to get in. You know you can do that. You can concentrate on something so much everything else fades into the background… Find the solution to the puzzle…

Breathing out and consciously relaxing her shoulders she gazed back to the gate. She tried to centre upon it without thinking about the text or the image… instead trying to see it all… see it in a way that was normally hidden.

…she could imagine its massive weight… no, she could _feel_ its massive weight! It weighed on her shoulders, her chest, making it difficult to breathe, rested on her brain, sending sharp jolts of headache all the way through her neck and spine. She felt it!

She raised her hand, her fingers pointing at it. A slight, warm breeze played around her digits… where could it have come from, deep inside the Tree?

Her arm extended, she tried to encompass the door, grasp the very concept of its heft with her slender fingers… The weight on her mind and body nearly became unbearable… she couldn't draw breath, and her head felt ready to split open, but she didn't care. Weird, hallucinatory shadows danced in her peripheral vision as her brain sent wild, panicked impulses through every synapse… she saw flickers, sparks and tufts of light in her hand… surely just a trick her eyes played on her.

Her fingers closed… and she lifted… tried to… failed… Her muscles rebelled, twitching and oscillating wildly… she wasn't strong enough!

Zelda gasped from the strain. Her clothes were drenched with sweat, with big beads it rolled into her eyes, making them burn. The door trembled… she could feel it vibrate… but her grip on it was too weak and she continued to slip off…

Desperate for anything that could enhance her focus, she bit into the flesh of her finger of her other hand, so hard she was almost certain she would draw blood. With the new pain dulling the rest, she tried again… A millimetre… two maybe…

Suddenly her grasp was burst so harshly and effortlessly that she nearly toppled over. With wide eyes and gasping for much needed air, she saw the enormous log lift smoothly up until she could look through…

A wave of relief, so strong it nearly pulled her legs away, washed over her when she saw her Link standing unharmed, but… so was his opponent… His sword lay next to him, carelessly dropped… and he held just one of her knives…

Both of them, as one, looked at her and the cursed agent of the Threat pointed imperiously… then spoke with silky calmness.

"Now… kill her!"

* * *

Link

The magnificent woman in front of him dusted some dirt off her black, figure-hugging garb. Her eyes were the most fascinating shade of red… they seemed to glow, even… glow with such irresistible power…

His brow furrowed, but only for a tiny instant. Was power really what he sought? Was red the colour his heart languished for? He couldn't remember…

The girl's grin shook him right down to his spine, sent vibrations of pure lust through his every cell…

Again, a slight frown of confusion… Odd he would feel such lechery for someone he just met…

Ah… no, he must have misunderstood… yes…

It wasn't lust she made him feel… but deep, profound infatuation… yes, that was it.

She stepped closer… he could smell her perfume… it smelled… off… too strong… vaguely he remembered feeling something like this before… but she… had never worn so much scent… she hadn't needed to…

No matter! The woman in front of him drove him crazy, her sheer presence making his head spin… her face… stunning… too long… her nose… strong… wrong shape… her lips… full… smile not right…

His brow furrowed once more with that disruptive feeling… He wanted to concentrate solely on the incomparable creature in front of him… wanted to… to do everything she desired of him… There was nothing, nothing in the whole world he longed for than her approval…

Why, then, could he not let himself fall into her arms fully, embrace his enslavement to her will? Why?! Why would something not let him, keep him from the sweet, divine ecstasy she promised?

Now she frowned… oh no! He had made her angry! He had failed somehow, saddened her… now she would turn away from him, he wouldn't survive that!

But ahh… no… The soft, pink haze around thickened… and his peace returned with her smile…

Her hand touched his shoulder… her closeness made him feel faint with longing… Her sensual lips, which he so despaired to kiss, drew closer, but at the last, terrible moment curved around to whisper in his ear.

"Now, sweety…" she purred, "that was not very nice, what you did, was it?"

His heart sank to the bottom of the sea… Oh no! He must have done something terrible! But what? He couldn't remember… Why couldn't he remember?

He shook his head, eager to please. He could feel her soft body touch him in numerous spots… There were hordes of butterflies dancing in his tummy and his head…

…She smelled a tiny bit of sweat… odd… why would she be sweating?

"No, it truly wasn't nice…" she cooed with a little giggle that sent shivers down his spine. His heart was pounding in his chest, filled with guilt and rage at himself. He wanted to prostrate before her, hoped she would step on him, punish him for his insolence… Anything to make her happy!

"But don't worry, darling. All is well…" Her breath was hot in his ear… He twitched away, only a few millimetres… But why? Why would he recoil from this heavenly being he so desired?! He was so confused, so utterly, maddeningly perplexed by his own actions, he started to get a headache. What was wrong with him?

"All is well, honey!" she repeated, gently taking his hand. The fluffy pink fuzz in his mind got even thicker, even more comfortable… "I forgive you…" she whispered, her lips so close he could feel the tiny swirls of air as they moved.

The relief that washed over him was incomparable. He should go on his knees, kiss her feet, or better the ground below her boots in thanks for her mercy.

"But! You'll have to do something for me too…" she said, her face back in his view.

He nodded eagerly. Anything…

"Drop your weapon." His mistress ordered. He numbly looked at his sword, which he was still holding aloft… as if ready to strike something down… His brow furrowed once more in confusion… That annoying headache… Why was he brandishing his blade? Who was he fighting? There was only she here… No… no that was impossible! Impossible! He would never fight her, his one and only… would he?

"Drop it, I said!" she commanded, more impatiently now.

He let it fall as if he had burned himself. She had sounded nervous… odd…

"Now, sweety… The one thing I need you to do… Will you help me?" she asked, the pout on her lip irresistible. He wanted to nod, scream into the world that he would do anything for her, and everyone should know… Something constricted his throat… He was fighting himself! But why? Why would he be so riven, when this should be the happiest moment of his life?

Sweat was running down her face… Was she in pain? What troubled her so?

"Here. Take this."

She put something slim and slightly heavy in his palm. His heart jumped in excitement. A gift?

"Yes… a gift…" she croaked. Her voice sounded strained. "It's yours… Take it… And…" she lifted her hand. A loud noise cut through the languorous silence… The silvery mists parted and he saw… a silhouette… A girl… _Her_ …

Blue eyes… he loved blue eyes…

"Now… kill her!"

No.

When before his confusion and doubt were little more than an irritating background-whisper, the resounding decisiveness that instantly coursed through his mind was absolute. As was the headache that stretched its searing fingers into his brain.

 _Kill. Her._

A sound… a disembodied voice…

Her face… that beautiful face… so dirty and… and scared… Her blue eyes stared at him… terrified! No, that couldn't be! Not her. Never her!

 _Kill! I command it! KILL!_

The headache strengthened immeasurably… as did his conviction.

 _KILL!_

Never.

"Aye… I will kill her." he pronounced, his voice deep and cold. Before she could react, he rammed the knife into the woman's heart… a woman who, despite his throbbing heart, could only be evil… to want to kill an angel…

The vile spell broke as soon as the metal cut through her skin. The she-devil screamed in rage and with impossible speed jumped backwards fast enough she slid over the ground all the way back to the mountainous dragon skull. She clattered against it with her back, then went down on her knees…

A few seconds passed as Link carefully picked up his sword. Every fibre in his body roared in hot, blazing fury at being manipulated, at the disgusting thoughts she had made him think… but mostly at the repulsive, loathsome, fiendish command she had tried to impart. His head still pulsated with pain from the battle he had fought within it. He remembered her exerted face, the rivers of sweat running down her forehead… She had been forced to use all her power on him… and still her filthy, manipulative charm had instantly shattered like glass against solid steel at that one, unthinkable order. His mouth curled into a grim smile… there was a certain satisfaction to that.

After a moment of cowering, there was a pained grunt, followed by a sickening, moist squelch… and the knife he had stuck in her clattered on the floor.

To his horror and dismay, the demon-woman simply stood back up… although shakily, her face deathly white. She looked as if she could drop dead at any second… except for her eyes, which glowed more than ever with its sinister, red life… a profane, terrible perversion of life…

"Well… that certainly was educational." she rasped, jumped high into the air before he could recollect his courage after having stared into the living death from her phantasmal eyes. She landed heavily on a enormous rib jutting from the bone-yard. "But now I tire of our little dance and I am done here anyway. My task was to waste your time and that I have accomplished. Your precious Tree is damaged beyond salvation and so, the dragons will forever remain a pile of worthless bones." The unnaturally wide grin in her pallid face, with her teeth reddened from blood, made his heart sink into a pit of despair. "Go and see the root chamber… Witness how much damage my corrosive little pets can inflict, even on something as powerful as the Guardian of all Life. Watch how this very life brings death to its protector! Delicious!" She cackled, spitting blood with every ragged gasp… and the sheer evil in her voice reverberated a thousandfold from the walls. Black fire sprung to life all over her and her demonic laugh flared into a terrifying crescendo… then was silent… and she was gone.

Link stared dumbfounded at the vacant spot… then spun around to stare wide eyed at Zelda. Her expression was shocked, aghast, betrayed… just like he felt.

A brief exchange of gazes, wordless understanding… and as one they fled from the room, storming downwards the way they had come. He quickly overtook her, then restrained his speed, torn between wanting to see, to help as fast as possible and unable to just leave her behind.

"Go! Run ahead!" she yelled, panting as they both dashed down the gently winding ramp. With a last apologetic glance back he started running as quickly as his legs would carry him… praying against all hope that he wouldn't be too late.

* * *

Zelda

She ran down the ramp with breakneck speed, yet already she had lost him from her sight. Every springy step was accompanied with a panting, silent prayer. Link's dreadful, abject fear shook her soul, his terror of being too late made her skin feel like ice. Goddess above, please let us be in time! Please… please, of all the filthy lies this monstrous creature has told, let this be one of them!

When she finally re-entered the gloomy, round chamber that Keese-master had annexed, she only very faintly heard his hasty steps from below. Not daring to pause even for an instant despite the burning in her side, she rushed down the winding stairs Maca had grown. Her teeth gritted in full concentration on her own feet, as a sudden tumble could mean a very long fall…

The long spiral of the main chamber continued… Only very soft light filtered in through the long crack in the bark, as of the last reflected rays of an already set sun… There was just enough illumination to navigate the slightly uneven wooden ramp safely.

A sudden outcry of emotion made her heart skip a beat and her head spin as if she had been slapped. Her feet immediately tangled and she fell flat, skidding over the rough ground on her hands and elbows. An angry whimper escaped her as she waited for the pain to arrive… A vicious burning slowly spread on hands and knees, making her hiss as it seemed to grow to cruel intensity… and the sickly hotness that spread from the stinging spots told her that she must have drawn blood… Fighting against her screaming skin and her complaining muscles, she fought herself back to standing and after making sure everything still moved continued running.

Something Link had seen had driven him to the edge of desperation… Her petty bruises were nothing against the agony that must flash through his soul! Although it seemed impossible, she pushed herself to even greater speed, angrily wiping tears of pain from her eyes.

As she reached the ground, she dared not look at the Heart of the Tree… the feeling of ailment that hit her was enough… she feared she might already see death's shadow over it…

It only took a few steps into the chamber where they had fought the acidic Chu to have an inkling of what brought such shock to her beloved. A wall of foulness hit her, making her gasp for air and twisting her stomach with an iron grip. The door on the other side of the room, which had previously been closed, now stood open… and this stench of rot and decay wafted from it in a magnitude far greater than before. Beyond the gate was yet another way downwards… the ground and walls were nearly white, not only deadened but bleached by the intense corrosive atmosphere. Now afraid not only for the Tree but for her knight's safety too, she dashed into the putrid depths with nary a thought for her own life.

The path spiralled down for a long time, her throat and eyes burning from the nauseating stench… Her stomach cramped incessantly, the only relief, it was already empty.

"OPEN UP!" his roar resounded distortedly from still farther below, the urgency in his voice making her speed up even more.

She found him desperately trying to lift one of the large doors, which had apparently stopped ascending after ten centimetres… not nearly enough even to crawl under. She could see his muscles bulging and a hoarse grunt escaped his throat, but it was no use.

"Help me!" he yelled frantically.

She took a few heavy breaths… then swallowed to focus and calm her burning lungs. Trying to reach that same place, that same state of mind she had found back up there wasn't made easier when you were still fighting for air… but if she had been able to rattle that enormous gate, which was at least 20 times heavier than this one, lifting this door here should at least be feasible… right?

She raised her hand to help her concentrate, make the completely abstract more tangible…

"Help me already! Please!" he begged. It was hard, but she tried to ignore his exasperated pleas.

The door came into focus… as did the heat on her fingers… The obscure, near impassable path to her mysterious arkanum she had discovered only a few minutes ago was much easier to find a second time, now that she had already pursued it for a few hesitant steps. Would she, on this inner path, find her way to the first successful miracle, however?

Once again she thought she could feel its weight, understand its girth… it was like dividing every fibre of wood apart until she had found the very essence of the door, had reached the most basic plane of its existence. Extending her hand she tried to grasp it, her finger movement just a way to help her own mind comprehend by analogizing it to familiar motions. Her palm grew even hotter… up there she had thought the little specks of light she had seen had been figments born from her increasingly fuzzy vision… now, down in this nearly lightless corridor, ever tiny spark that sprung into life from her hand doused the greasy, swollen walls in yellowish white.

An involuntary grunt escaped her… the weight on her chest made breathing near impossible… and holding on to the door in this ridiculously abstract way made her head feel as if it might implode. Slowly, she raised her hand, her brain giving the silent command to rise. Her mind slipped off, the door's inertia too large for her feeble first attempts, akin to a baby's first frustrating attempts at coordinated movement of fingers. Nonetheless…

With a tortured groan the large slab moved as Link heaved! Almost five centimetres! Her surprise was so intense, she was almost thrown off her focus. He, too, gazed at the heavy wooden portal under his hands, then at her… His eyes went wide in understanding and his mouth moved with many unutterable questions. Intensive determination allowed him to rally almost immediately. "Do it again! Just one more time!"

He shifted his grip, as did she in a more metaphorical sense. Her vision became faint as her lungs screamed for air, but she would not relent. The flimsy thread of light she felt, rather than saw led from her hand to her target… The marionette and its master…

With one last effort of her mind she concentrated with all she had and pushed her hand upwards against the seemingly insurmountable resistance. Link reacted immediately by lifting with all his might. The wood creaked and shuddered… but finally their combined strength overcame its inertness and he, his cheeks puffed and his face beet-red, managed to heave it nearly 30 centimetres.

It had to be enough…

When all in her sight suddenly turned very dark and sound lost all its pitch, she finally released. The weight lifted instantly and she could at last draw quick, urgent, gasping breaths, every spot on her body drenched with sweat. The world regained its colour, and she saw how Link, after he had made sure that she was alright, ducked under the gate. Even though every cell in her body screamed for rest, she dragged herself back up and followed.

Link stood a few steps into the room, stopped dead. Standing straight, but his shoulders had dropped. His sword in his hand, but his fingers lacked strength. She could not yet see what he perceived… but whatever it was that had so knocked all vigour from him… she dreaded it already.

Slowly she stepped to where he stood, finally daring to gaze past him… A loud gasp forced its way from her throat and she subconsciously cupped her hands over her mouth.

A gargantuan cave stretched to all sides, filled with a paradox forest of roots in all sizes, from tiny spindles hanging in the air to massive trunks the size of a castle tower. They all sprung from the ceiling, gently deviating outward through this enormous cavern, a hundred metres high, then buried themselves back into earth and stone to reach untold depths. The root chamber under the Tree… its place of nourishment, its source of life.

Gloomy it was here, and moist… a dense mist hung in the air, giving the eye the illusion of seeing nightly woods in early morning fog… though what should undoubtedly be an atmosphere of cool, wet, clean life was now the epitome of rotting filth, so thick it was almost unbreathable, warm and foul. And once her eyes got used to the dark, it was obvious why…

With sharply renewed terror she recognized the black, vile sludge that covered every single root, big and small… a pulsing, seething miasma of pure evil, waving either a sinister dark-red or a putrid purple… the same terrible substance that had boiled forth from a wound in the earth and had turned a boar's corpse into an undead killing machine! If that stuff had managed to infest the Great Deku Tree…

She looked sidelong at Link, his feelings of anguish, rage and despair echoing in her soul… His face was a wide eyed mask of dismay, every muscle tensed, a hundred new creases in his smooth skin…

Dear goddess what could she say? What could she _do_?!

* * *

Link

The fetid, sour air burned in his lungs and itched in his throat. His eyes stung and watered, yet he could not shut them. The horror of the scene in front of him wouldn't permit it.

How could this have happened? The Deku Tree… the protector of the woods… the guardian of life… the father of so many… including, in part, of him… It was like watching Him be slowly tortured to death… by a force his tiny sword could do nothing against. If the Threat already had this much influence, this much power, that it could so easily murder the very symbol of life itself… how could he ever hope to defeat it?

Farore's mercy… he felt so tired… and hopeless…

Finally he managed to close his eyes… He heard the diabolic substance slowly eat through the Tree's fibres, drying them to dust, ruining them forever… a sickly crunching, sucking and sizzling sound coming from everywhere at once.

Slowly he reopened his eyes to the dreadful scene. He didn't want to see it, didn't want to hear it… didn't want to admit…

"I… I failed…" he muttered. He could feel Zelda trying to say something, but nothing came… what was there to say anyway, when it was this obvious?

Slowly he started walking forward, looking this way and that, not focussing on anything in particular… There was only death and decay, nothing more.

He heard her tentative steps behind him. He wished she would leave him alone with his grief… and hoped to all Three that she wouldn't.

His feet carried him until he stood in front of a large root, its diameter the size of a small house. The black corruption covered it like a wide-meshed spider-web… it trembled and boiled up in an angry red as he neared… he faintly remembered thinking back then, just before he had to fight the hell-boar, that the stuff seemed to react to either him or her.

Curious despite his heavy heart, he stepped even closer… he could have touched the few spots of as yet unharmed wood… The stench made his head spin, making him feel seriously ill, but he didn't care. He almost wanted to punish himself for his failure…

Slowly, almost gently he put his fingers against the coarse wood… and pulled back immediately as if he had been stung. Blackness… destruction and chaos had flashed through his mind, making him yelp. And good thing it did…

Where just a moment ago his hand had been a gelatinous mass formed incredibly swiftly… sickly green, wobbling… corroding…

Link hopped back with a startled cry, just as the thing lashed out, just as its disgusting brother had before taking his shield.

"Are you alright?!" Zelda squeaked, taking his hand and checking his fingers for injuries. He let her, still too shocked to react.

The thing trembled, the dark corruption floating within and through it… It seemed to stretch horizontally towards them with filthy sucking noises, trying to reach them… He saw as through it the black miasma spread to the untouched spot he had just touched…

Link's teeth gritted in sudden, white-hot fury. With a gentle shove he pushed her back and out of his way. The strength in his grip renewed as the depression was buried under towering rage, he focused on the one thing he could identify as a clear enemy. All his anger at the Threat, that bitch that had tricked him, this repellent substance and himself… it all flooded his soul, setting his mind and muscles ablaze!

His sword arm tensed as if pure lightning were coursing through it… Tiny tendrils started protruding from the Chu, searching for his delicious flesh, wriggling in blind hunger. It would get more than it could stomach!

With a furious roar he hacked at the nauseating thing, his blade slicing through it like butter. But his ire did not end there… As soon as his steel touched the filthy black tentacles inside, it ignited into bright green flame, instantly setting the whole gelatinous mass ablaze. It hissed and screamed in impossibly high tones, steaming and trembling in bizarre death-throes.

Link stepped back as the noxious clouds threatened to engulf him, then gazed with a mix of awe and terror at the sword in his hand, a faint glimmer of emerald light still radiating from it. His left palm felt hot, as if he had placed it on his father's forge and… he could feel a strange kind of energy flow through his body to it. He…

"Link, above!" Zelda's shout pierced through his reverie, forcing him to look up. His stomach twisted as a feeling of deep, deadly cold crept on his skin. All around, from every spot of the roots more Chus aggregated, growing, merging, splitting until the whole chamber looked like the inside of an enormous anthill… where the ants were caustic, extremely dangerous and huge.

It appeared his attack… or the death of one of their own… had drawn them _all_ …

A loud, very wet splash behind them made them jump… an enormous pile of the vicious goo had apparently dropped from the ceiling, splattering some of its body on its surroundings, which now languorously slid back to its main body. His gaze jerked back directly above… and the implications began to hit his understanding… hundreds… thousands… all around… directly above their heads!

"RUN!" he screamed, grabbed her hand and pulled her with him back towards the exit. As if they had heard, multiple earth-trembling splats reached his ears from all directions. More than once he had to make a sharp turn to avoid running headlong into the enemy's corrosive embrace as they dropped, careful to keep her from loosing her balance.

The exit was almost there! Just 50 metres…

His instincts screamed at him and time slowed to a crawl… Terrified he gazed above mid stride, seeing an enormous drop of the viscous mass fall directly at them. Reacting on pure reflex, he yanked on Zelda's arm and pushed her away towards the escape, then dived out of the way backwards.

The thing hit the ground with an ear-popping crash, splitting into multiple smaller Chus on impact. Instantly he was back up, but was forced to roll further back immediately as more of the things bombed down at him. He sidestepped as quick as he could, trying to outmanoeuvre the creatures of the depths, but flee as he might, more and more they seemed to drop just in his path.

Setting his jaw and squaring his shoulders, he decided that running would no longer work. He darted at the nearest foe, a Chu about his height, and swung his sword as hard as he could without sacrificing his balance. Once again, his blade flickered alight, though noticeably dimmer than before… It took long enough for Link to begin to panic before the thing finally alighted in the magical green fire. A quick glance at his steel and his heartbeat increased in new fear… only the faintest glimmer remained… Whatever the power was his anguish and rage had unearthed, he hadn't been able to keep connected with it… or it had simply run dry…

With a desperate howl he lunged at the next monster, hoping to use the remaining energy as best he could. He was twisting and weaving through the massive blobs that encroached ever closer, avoiding their fearsomely fast attacks, slicing and swinging in wide arcs as he moved to clear them off him.

Quickly though the hoped for effect failed to happen and his sword did little more than whack a few drops away… one in ten attacks at first, then soon one in five… then every second…

Terrified, he realized he had lost his orientation with all the quick, hasty dodging he had to perform, and all the rapid turning to keep them away. All he could see was dirty green mounds, slowly approaching… He could no longer say whether he had actually come any closer to the exit… and Zelda…

His swings got more and more desperate, faster, but also more frantic. Sometimes he missed completely, swung through nothing but air in fear of something coming from behind. His heart hammered in his throat, and the closer they got, the more difficult the air became to breathe, and the more it hurt his lungs. He twisted and spun as fast as he could… He would never stop as long as there was strength in him… Her face, her smile, were what drove him on, made him fight on when he lost centimetre after centimetre to the ever approaching demise all around. He continued his deadly dance, too focused to think about anything else… but more and more he realized…

He was lost…

* * *

Zelda

She stood only ten metres from the door, sword in hand, though she knew she might as well defend herself with a toothpick, for all the good it would do her.

She had lost sight of him ages ago, though it wasn't difficult to guess his location. By now almost the entire ground was covered with them, a veritable army of extremely caustic, flesh eating monstrosities in all sizes… and they all were sliding unstoppably towards one spot…

She saw the bright flashes of green light… the marks of the arcane fire that had sprung from his hand… He still fought, though she noticed how his light dimmed ever more… and his desperation grew in turn.

She could not run to him, could not aid him with strength, speed or agility… Her own blade was useless and she had no idea how to get him out…

She saw only one way… and that terrified her most of all… When all you had were magical powers that were undeveloped, not understood and fickle… yet on them depended the survival of your heart… She must succeed… or his death would be on her hands…

Her muscles cramping as she concentrated on the one thing, the only thing that mattered… Him…

She opened her soul, hoping she could grasp the thread that connected them permanently and use it as a guiding light for her magic.

Thousands of tiny flames of life, crude, dim and dull… though infested with tendrils of utter darkness. The black, destructive miasma blazed in her mind, the vile spider-web of this roiling, red-pulsing substance seemed to etch into it as if it had been clawed into her skin. Yet amidst it all… a single bright fire… pure and white, with just the slightest forest green hue… it flared with fear… but more so with unbroken will. She saw… the immaculate streak of light that connected her with him… strong, unbent and pulsing with an enigmatic energy that ran far deeper in the strata of reality than any superficial sorcery…

Her eyes flooding with tears, she grabbed a hold of it and, with all her heart, poured her strength into it!

Link's fire exploded outwards instantly, a wave of force hitting her conscious so hard she ripped her eyes open to see. With a violent roar he swung his sword and a blinding flash illuminated a large part of the cavern… and dozens of the repellent creatures were set ablaze immediately, boiling to vapour within a second.

She saw him! Amidst the cloud of acidic gas he stood, gasping for air, all enemies within a radius of 10 metres disintegrated at once… His path was free! She had done it!

Something landed heavily on her left shoulder and arm… and searing, unimaginable pain followed…

* * *

Link

His chest was aflame, it was near impossible to breathe… his strength had nearly been spent… and he had already felt the caustic kiss of the surrounding wall of death…

Then, a sudden wave of energy had engulfed him to his very core, taking not only pain, but also fear from him, washing it away like the tide washes away the sand on the shores… His sword had flared in pure light and he had immediately known whence it had come… He had felt her warm embrace, her invigorating touch… every sense had only her in their centre of perception.

His power renewed, he had brought his blade around in one vast arc… and had experienced the sheer force and heat of magic flame pouring forth, instantly enveloping all his enemies and dispelling the tendrils of corruption within them.

Suddenly surprisingly free of surrounding foes, he was almost jubilating… when a shriek of agony pierced his marrow and bone. A scream, like he had never heard her scream before…

His whole body turning ice cold, he turned to find her and sprinted to the origin of that dreadful sound that would haunt him in his dreams.

As he sped towards her, his heart was gripped in the iron hand of horror… She was cowering on the floor, clutching at her left arm… and she wouldn't stop screaming! White steam was rising from her… With dismay clawing at his insides, he realized that a Chu must have landed directly on her! Her magic must have vaporized it, but…

After what seemed like hours running, through air thickened to honey through sheer terror, he reached her… and nearly collapsed on the ground.

Her whole arm, from the shoulder to slightly over her wrist, her skin fire-red, blisters the size of coins were already forming on some spots… and on others…

He averted his gaze and he knelt down in front of her, his sword dropping next to hers… Her shrieks had turned into weak whimpering that choked the life out of him.

Desperate, helpless, not knowing what to do he gently took her head between his hands and whispered. "I'm here… I'm here… We need to get out, Zelda! I'm so sorry, I…" He swallowed, trying his best to calm his thoughts spinning out of control. With trembling fingers he sheathed first his sword, then hers, then, as softly as he could, pried her right hand away from her injured arm… Her dead skin came off, her palm simply tore it away. Fighting a wave of nausea, he hooked her right arm over his neck, dragging her upright. A new, sickly scream escaped her throat, but immediately crumbled into little more than a strengthless croak.

Cursing, either silent or aloud, he couldn't tell, he wanted to drag her away, but… she resisted…

"Let me…" she whimpered, trying to tug her arm away from him.

"Zelda, we need to get out!" he urged, his eyes darting fearfully to the remaining army of ever closing corrupted slimes. "We need…"

"LET ME!" she screeched and, startled to his bones, he let her go.

She took a wobbly step towards the enemies, her injured arm hanging slackly, sickeningly from her shoulder. Another step… she nearly toppled over. He didn't understand, his mind a tempest of chaotic thoughts… he couldn't fathom what she was doing.

Her head was lowered, her teeth gritted against the pain, her hair hanging wet and disorderly down. A last step… then a shaky raising of her right arm. She sobbed, her trembling fingers stretched towards the incredible evil still encroaching… only a few metres off…

With his eyes widening even more, he saw her suddenly be embraced in a yellow shine, her hand glowing with blinding light. She gasped, and keeled over, would have fallen had he not caught her. The light flickered, but didn't go out. He stood in it now, felt its warmth, its intensity… its immeasurable power. And he understood.

"Zelda! Target me! Like you did before! Together!" he implored, seeing how close she was to losing consciousness.

Her eyes and lips shut tightly against the torture in her arm, she nodded faintly. Feebly, she pushed him away, standing once again by herself… and she focused again.

Nodding himself, he drew his sword and stepped between her and them, bracing himself. He too tried to reach inside, find that pool of hidden force that sometimes broke through… Failing that, he tried what had worked so far, though always unintentionally… raw emotion. He kindled his anger, forced the pictures of her terrible injuries into his mind, twisting his dread, his guilt, his dismay into undying rage. The familiar fire, briefly buried beneath horror, licked back to the surface, regaining vigour, fanned by his fury. Part of his mind tried to defend itself against this onslaught of raw emotion, enhanced by immense guilt, but he left it no choice.

His whole body started to feel hot… With sheer will he channelled it all through his left arm, through his fingers to his blade. Slowly it began to glow until the dull grey glimmered in greenish white. He knew he couldn't keep this up, a single lapse in concentration and it would all be for naught!

"Now!" he yelled.

With a spent sigh she sent a flame of pure energy at him… Both their magic roared alive, potentiating each other, setting his whole being alight with immense power, blazing in a white, green and blue fire that reached towards the hundred metre high ceiling. Not wasting a single moment he spun around with one enormous, final attack, roaring as the boundless energy coursed through his arm, both in exultation, rage and pain. A wall of flame burst forth from the tip of his steel, exploding outwards, engulfing every last root, reaching nook of the cavern within a second, burning the taint of the countless monsters away, dispelling every last shred of dark corruption… sanctifying this place anew…

In awe, Link stared, the remaining glow of both her and his power slowly ebbing…

With a anguished hiss, she collapsed behind him. He was there instantly, picking her up in his arms. She cramped up, the pain from her dire injury seeming to flare up again. She wailed through gritted teeth, every sound like a knife's cut into his heart. As quick as he dared, he ran from the cavern, ducking through the door with her. His head raced, a squirming mass of panicked thoughts. Where to go?! What could he do?! He glanced at it as he sprinted up the winding ramp… The skin was dead… People with far lesser burns than this died, either of the pain, or of terrible infections later… Despair wrung his stomach into a knot. He couldn't fucking lose her like this! No! Please, goddesses above, you callous bitches, please help for once!

She went slack in his arms and he screamed out in fear… her eyes rolled under closed lids. She had fallen unconscious… at least she wouldn't have to experience the pain… His own hand had been burned… a tiny streak… it had hurt so much he was nearly unable to stop himself from screaming… he couldn't imagine what she went through…

He quickened his steps, his body too numb right now to feel any tiredness…

 _Link… Come to me! Quickly…_

He nearly stumbled over his own feet. A familiar voice in his mind… The Tree!

 _Bring her to me! There is not much time!_

Relief of having a goal flooding his soul, his legs redoubled their pace, the ground practically flew past.

He dashed back up into the main chamber, the Heart of the Tree faintly glowing. He might have rejoiced at the sight, though now he barely noticed.

"In the water! Place her down. Quickly now!" A deep, booming voice echoed through the hall… a face had formed on the Heart tree on its gentle mound, gazing at him, urging him to haste.

Without hesitation, he lowered her into the crystal clear runlet as softly as he possibly could. She awoke, eyes opening wildly, she thrashed about, then stopped as agony shot through her once more. She whimpered, even weaker than before…

He took her face between his hands, lying down next to her in the ice cold water, kissing her forehead as his whole body trembled. "It's alright, sweetling, it's alright. The Deku Tree will help you, you hear?" he stammered, his voice high and desperate. He doubted she could even hear him…

"Please! Do something, already!" he yelled at the gentle face in the bark, panic rising ever higher, threatening to choke him.

The glow around the Heart increased, dousing everything around in contrasting gloom. The water around alighted, shining as bright as the sun, reflecting all over the wooden walls as wave patterns, letting them both be engulfed in pure, liquid illumination.

Zelda gasped deeply, rearing up, but instinctively, he held her close to him, keeping her forehead pressed against his as tears of hope and despair ran from his eyes.

The glistening light ceased as quickly as it had arrived… Link almost didn't dare to look. Fearing the worst, he opened his eyes…

Sky blue awaited him… the colour he loved most… two perfect eyes… and no pain in sight.

With a childlike giggle of sheer relief he wrapped his arms around her, laughing and sobbing uncontrollably.

"Link… you're… crushing me…" she croaked, but returned his embrace anyways with no less vigour.

Crying without restraint as all fear and panic washed away in the icy waters they both sat in, he kissed her face all over, not caring where his lips hit, or about her muffled protests, before pulling her into another fierce hug.

"Link… my boy…" the Tree's voice softly spoke.

Almost startled he gazed at the now mildly smiling face. With a last look at his beloved, who nodded, he jumped up, stormed onto the hill, fell onto his knees, his hands on the Tree's roots, his forehead pressed against the bark. "Thank you!" he sobbed, hot tears streaming down his cheeks. "Thank you so much!"

"Now now, my dear boy… my sweet child…" the deep voice boomed. "There is no need for thanks. Need I remind you that it was you, who saved me first, hm?" a deep chuckle.

"Then from me… I thank you… it sounds so hollow, so insufficient…" she lamented as she stood behind him.

"Dearest Princess of Light, you least of all need to thank me." The face formed a pensive expression.

"It gladdens me that my last act was such a worthwhile one…"

The message took a few seconds to register in Link's brain… after which he finally raised his head to look into the gentle eyes of the Tree. "Though, sadly, it means our time together is cut even shorter… instead of days, I'm afraid I have mere minutes…"

"No…" he whispered, shock and horror mixing in his heart.

"I would have wished it were different… but it is as it must be." The Deku Tree pronounced, without even a shred of regret.

"Then I have indeed failed…" Link muttered, sinking heavily back, his head hanging, his voice despairing.

"Failed? My dear boy… How could you have failed? You have ensured I persist until my task was done. You have chased the evildoer from my temple with its tail tucked between its legs. You have wiped away the corruption that festered with me, making sure that this place is free for life to claim once more. Why would you believe yourself a failure, then?" he asked softly.

"Be- Because you…" he stammered, feeling suddenly like a child again… a child being consoled by… a father…

"Because I'm dying? Child of destiny, my death was as unavoidable as the sun rising once again. My mission was to keep watch over the Goddesses' essence… the dragons. Their survival was my goal… until the Children of Fate would once again rise to fulfil their difficult duty. It was… hard… to ask my beloved children to go to sleep as my task drained me… at least those lovely Rito kept me company in my dreams." A wistful expression… then it turned cordial again. "The dragons are ready for you, my dear boy, my revered princess. Their power will… lend aid." A shadow of regret stole of the Tree's features…

"What… do you mean… what is wrong?" Zelda asked, astute as always.

The Deku Tree chuckled. "No-one is able to hide anything from you… not even me… I regret it, but I am not permitted to say more… Though I am not forbidden to say that I sharply protest against the plan… of my Goddess…" He sighed heavily. "Possibly that is why her favour has left me… And my time is to end."

"But… No! You cannot just die!" Link cried out. Now it were tears of sorrow that wet his cheeks. "Are you not… life?"

"Me? No, no, my lad. I am a creature of the Goddesses, just like you, just like everything… And what other path would there be for an old, old tree than to die?" he chuckled merrily. "To die… and serve as nourishment for the earth… so that others may grow strong."

A mellow, warm breeze played around Link's cheek all of a sudden… drying his tears… caressing like a gentle hand. "Do not despair, my beloved child. It is all part of a great balance… life and death… light and dark… creation… and destruction… I have lived for millennia, witnessing a thousand beautiful things, as well as a thousand horrid… as my forefathers did before me… or did you think I was the first Great Deku Tree?" A mighty laugh echoed through the halls as Link ogled the kindly face dumbly.

"No, child. When I perish, my sprout will be able to strike roots, to grow, and to watch life unfold in his turn. I would not be surprised if you two came across him in time…"

Link stared, barely comprehending… but more and more the profound feeling warmed his heart, that all is well, all is as it should be… despite all sorrow…

"And… what of Maca?" he asked with a cracking voice.

"Maca… my little nestling… Seeing you again has finally convinced him to leave this old fool here and seek out his brothers and sisters… He will help them tend to my sprout.

"He… will not grow here?" Zelda asked tentatively, loath to disturb the moment between the two.

"No… a different place… a remote place, suitable for dense woods… undiscovered by chaos until he is strong enough to keep it out." The Tree explained.

"What… what did you mean, earlier? You protest…" Link asked quietly.

The Tree was silent for a few seconds. "I am a guardian of life, first and foremost… it is the way I was created by my Goddess Farore. This is what I am and it is what I will do. My roots run through molten rock and the deepest waters… and I shall not fail.

" He pronounced grandly, as well as enigmatically. "And now, I feel it is time… My time…"

"No… please stay…" he whispered, though he knew it was a childish request.

"I cannot. My death will be the signal for the dragons to awaken from their slumber and to await you finding them." Another warm breeze caressed his cheeks and tousled his hair. "Be brave now… and know that the years watching you grow up are the most precious memory an old tree could possibly have. My boy… my son."

The face swivelled to gaze at Zelda. "Revered princess, once again I ask you to take good care of this sweet, incorrigible rascal of mine… as you always have…" he asked softly, with a wistful smile. Traces of memory bubbled to her conscious… faintly, she was aware that she had given such a promise before… long ago…

"Now… my lovely children of destiny. This is goodbye. And as difficult and overwhelming your task might seem, know that never once have you failed. Never. When you are together, nothing may stand in your way!"

His face once more turned to look at Link. "And, at last… farewell… and all the happiness… in this world… shall be yours…"

A soft, cool wisp of air twirled around the Heart… like the last breath of a great being… The unearthly glow ceased and, from one moment to the next, all that stood on a simple mound of earth was a simple, dead tree… with all hints of mystery and magic spent.

Link took a deep breath and closed his eyes… he pressed his forehead against the cool, hard bark once last time… and could tell that the sap had forever stopped flowing…

He heard his beloved get down on her knees beside him… felt her warm hand on his back… He sat back up, wiped a last tear from his eye… then smiled at her, his gaze full of grief.

Zelda leaned forward and took him in her arms, wrapping them around his neck, kissing his forehead, rocking him gently.

A green light emanated forth from the Heart of the Tree, barely noticeable at first, but quickly gaining strength. Finally, a long, serpent-like shape burst forth, made from nothing but emerald light. A dragon, five metres long, floating in the air, glowing so brightly green it was difficult to look directly at it. Although there was something fearsome to it… it felt gentle… benevolent… both new-born and ancient at once…

It circled the round hall a few times, showering all with its divine incandescence, trailing sparks of pure verdant energy behind that rained down and vanished in tiny flashes… and immediately grass and other plant-life seemed to sprout.

Very soon, Link and Zelda were surrounded by a meadow in full bloom, dozens of different flowers in all the colours of the rainbow, tickling their noses with their scent.

At last, the dragon lowered itself back down, performed a lightning quick turn around them, then touched both their foreheads with its claws.

A vision, like the one he had when he first touched the Master Sword under Hyrule Castle… A mountain, higher than all the ones around… no… no maintain, a volcano! They flew into its crater… out through a hole in its side… before them a massive gorge in the red rock… Then they both stood among dark, stormy clouds, seemingly on nothing. On three sides floated the mighty Dragons, aspects of the Goddesses… They sung with surprisingly gentle voices in a language they didn't understand… yet they were able to garner the meaning through mysterious means.

"We will come at the close..." Then the vision ended.

The ethereal drake hovered in front of them for a few more seconds… then, with a strong gust of wind, darted straight upwards and vanished through the ceiling.

Both children of fate gazed after it for a long time, each lost in their own thoughts…

At last, Link dared to look at Zelda again… at her left arm… where the long sleeve of her garb had been completely decomposed… and where only beautiful, immaculate skin met his stare.

He noticed her look at him patiently as he ogled her… He closed his eyes as once again wave after wave of relief washed over him. At last, he could once again feel a free, honest smile on his face… and found her returning it.

They fell into each other's arms, deathly tired, sore all over, their minds burnt out with fatigue… but happier than they have ever been.

It was over…

* * *

 **Damn… this was such a doozy to write… But, in the end, I'm quite happy with it. I think I managed to intersperse a few twists and turns…**

 **I hope that three chapters of nothing but dungeon didn't get old…**

 **Would be really happy to know what you think!**


	53. Rest and Joy, long overdue

Rest and Joy, long overdue

Link

They remained amidst the newly birthed meadow under the faded guardian of all life for untold minutes, tightly embraced, both so enveloped and inspired by relief that they were prone to sudden, unexplained fits of either giggling or sobbing. There was no thought about their great accomplishment, their triumph… not yet. For now, all their fatigued minds could process was that, indeed, their first monumental task was over… and they had survived.

Link's head was racing around itself, images of his beloved so terribly hurt, chased by the incomparable comfort of seeing her healed… Time after time his heart began pounding, spurred on by the memory of the horrid injury, which was lodged in his mind like a thorn… and time and time again he gazed at her arm, tenderly brushed over it, still terribly afraid that he might cause pain… and his palpitations slowed… He had to make sure… a thousand times he had to make sure that she was unharmed… He could never quite believe his own eyes, no matter how often he saw her perfect, ivory skin, the dread of finding it all to be an illusion still too close. Every time he looked, let his fingers trail over it, he became a little surer, the wound in his soul closed a little more…

He knew he was a fool… and her tiny, knowing smile insinuated such… but… it was time he needed… to understand that his failure to protect her was rectified. His gaze wandered to her shoulder, to the charred edge of the fabric of her blouse, where the sleeve had been singed away within a second… Goddess above… she had been lost! He doubted there was a healer in this world who could have treated such an injury… He had been about to lose her!

…But the Great Deku Tree had saved her… and, therefore, him as well…

More and more his heartbeat slowed, the storm of fear in his head calmed… and with every passing second terror and loss was replaced by serenity and wonderful, profound glee. He would not waste this moment or the hard earned days of respite that would certainly follow with pointless self-doubt, brooding and angst. He had been shown, more than markedly, that this time, this infinitely precious time would be better spent with the things, the people, that mattered most…

* * *

Zelda

Sitting amidst grass and flowers… Link's arms around her and hers around him, resting, for once, in the certainty that they didn't need to haste, that no dreadful fate would befall anyone when they simply relaxed for a minute… It was… sublime…

Vaguely, Zelda wondered why the grave injury and the staggering agony had left so little of a lasting effect on her psyche… Truthfully, she could not remember much… The torturous minutes were blurry at best… a mercy, surely…

Still, shouldn't her heart stutter and race at the horrible prospect of either being disfigured at best, or dead at worst?

She could acutely sense her sweet knight, the little fool, fret again and again over her, felt his heartbeat go to near fibrillation as his own mind played tricks on him… and she delighted, no less foolishly, over the childlike joy clearly painted on his adorable face whenever he made sure that, indeed, her arm was still there.

Were the wounds of a loved one so much more devastating than one's own? An odd dynamic… yet one that she could, sadly, confirm.

Slowly but surely the anxiety that gnawed at Link's core was curbed, beaten by the immeasurable relief of them both surviving. And so her own tension flaked off her soul in big chunks in the strange, raw, almost melancholy peace that often followed such turbulent, perilous episodes. And with intensity fading, weariness crept into her mind, making her spirits light and her eyelids heavy… Both of them felt themselves lulled ever closer to slumber in their warm embrace, leaning on each other, enveloped by the incredibly subtle, but no less soothing concerto of blooming nature around them.

Link's head sunk heavily onto her shoulder… she could feel his lips nibble softly on the sensitive skin on the nape of her neck.

"We should go…" he simply said… she could hear by his scratchy voice how close he was to falling asleep… there was very little holding her back too. Part of her wanted nothing more than to just sink into a thoughtless slumber right here, in his arms… but then again… this was rather like the Deku Tree's grave… hardly a good place for resting.

Cumbersomely, her strong knight fought against his exhaustion and stood, then offered his hand to pull herself up. Her legs were shaky… they threatened to refuse their service, as did her slightly spinning head… With a last look back towards the deceased Tree, saying their silent farewell to the perished Guardian of Life itself, they made their way out of the temple. There was no real grief any more… just vague sorrow… Possibly that was due to their tired brains lacking the energy for mourning at the moment, but the Tree's words, painfully few as they were, had been both encouraging and wonderfully comforting.

The path out through the ruined common room of the children of the forest was all a blur… Link led her by the hand, for which she was thankful… She suspected, had he not, she might have just stood still and fallen asleep. Vaguely she remembered passing through the dragon room and hearing it creak to rest with a very final sound… she doubted it would ever open again.

It was dark out by now… Through the thick roots they could catch only glimpses of a clear, starry night. She continued to follow his lead while ensuring her feet didn't stumble over themselves took all her concentration.

Only when her guide stopped and she realized the four Rito standing in their way did her mind wrest itself out of its stupor. Though her heart warmed when she saw who it was that greeted them.

Veneli waited for them with the youthful impatience of a boy who had to wait entirely too long. He was flanked by three warriors, all with an expression somewhere between wariness and awe.

"We saw the dragon!" the boy blurted out, obviously nearly bursting with curiosity. "It flew straight into the sky, a long serpent shining so brightly in all hues of green! The whole forest was bathed in its light for a whole minute!" He was practically vibrating with excitement.

Both Link and she had to smile at the wonder in the lad's eyes. It did sound like a marvellous sight.

"Veneli, how is your father?" her protector asked before she could.

A tiny shadow of embarrassment passed over the young Rito's face, but his voice was very controlled. "It appears that his arm was broken during battle." he stated, understandably avoiding to go into detail just who his father was battling. "Other than that, he is already on the mend. He deeply regrets that, due to his injury, he cannot personally welcome you… so he has sent me to do so in his stead." A wide, genuine smile showed around the boy's beak. He took a step back, then bowed in the flamboyant fashion of his people. "It is my privilege to invite you to our home in the Ancient Guardian's high branches. The Rito would be honoured if they could welcome the two heroes of one of our most ancient legends." The words were spoken grandly and honestly, though Veneli couldn't resist shooting them a wry smirk. The two other birds bowed as well, albeit in the more practical way of the warrior.

"We humbly accept your people's generous offer!" Zelda replied, doing her best not to slur. The only image her mind conjured up at hearing the young lad's invitation was the wonderfully soft bed in their erstwhile prison-cell… But after a second, the deeper meaning finally bloomed in her soul. Her sore eyes gazed over the three warriors… one of them was part of the party that had initially apprehended them… There had been the same hostility in this one's eyes than in all the others', the same fear… Now there was hopeful joy, tentative excitement even… They had won more than the struggle within the Deku Tree Temple… They had won the friendship of a people that had not a day ago twitched to end their lives… They had won so much more than a mindless battle…

Her eyelids fluttered shut and a wave of vertigo made her reel... She might have fallen had Link's ever quick hand not shot around her… When she reopened her eyes, she saw his befuddled expression, no doubt caused by the perfectly serene smile that graced her face. As the last blemish of worry had now been cleansed in the blazing fire of their victory, the remaining tension puffed away, leaving her a like a floppy, giggling empty shell… that filled quickly with so much pure delight that her exhausted mind and body couldn't keep up.

"Are you alright?!" Veneli's startled voice rang and she heard him and the others flutter close. "Are you hurt? Kotto, fly up and tell them to prepare a-"

"No, no! Don't worry, I… I'm just tired…" she muttered, unable to stop herself from grinning like a lunatic. Link's magnificent eyes sparkled as he looked at her, quite amused… and full of glee… He understood as well… he felt it too, realized where the real triumph lay.

The boy through a questioning gaze at her knight, obviously wondering whether she was quite alright in the head… A justified query at the moment…

"Not to worry, Veneli! We're just very tired, as she said… and extremely glad that we are welcomed by the Rito… more than we can ever say…" Link explained, his gorgeous deep blue orbs never stopping to look lovingly at hers… Goddess above, if she were to melt right now, with that feeling in her chest and that sight as her last, she would accept it without the faintest regret…

"Well, if you say so…" the lad shook his head, but started smirking again. "I suppose I can see that you must be tired… you two look horrid! And… frankly, you smell even worse!" he chuckled, hid his beak behind his wing and retreated to a respectful distance. Ever the charmer… The two heroes just laughed and shrugged acceptingly at each other.

"Good thing, then, that we don't smell each other…" she observed.

"Mhm… might simply finish us off…" her sausage-knight replied dryly.

"Well, once you two have wallowed in your stench enough, I have the dubious pleasure of accompanying you up. Unless… you would like another ride on our rescue platform?" the little rascal asked with perfect childlike innocence.

"I think we'll pass…" she muttered, exhaustion slowly winning over the excitement of accomplishment again.

"Bah, you're no fun right now. Come, my father is waiting!" he scoffed in jest, then invited them to follow him towards the elevator up to the village.

Holding on to each other for support, both Link and she wobbled over, sometimes sharing glances, grinning like fools or giggling like madmen. More than once Veneli turned around, raised his eyebrow and shook his head… Zelda suspected he probably wondered by now, whether welcoming those two bedlamites had been a good choice… and promptly sniggered at the thought of stepping in front of an entire Rito entourage, pompous and serious as they all were, just to break down laughing directly in front of them… Not a very princess-like idea… but for the first time ever, she found she simply didn't care… for the first time, there was not a care in the world…

The slow, swingy ride upwards was spent in near silence, although Zelda could clearly see the burning curiosity in Veneli's eyes. More than once she sensed him nearly launching into a flood of questions, only to stop himself at the last second. She loved him for it… What child wouldn't itch to be the first to hear a story such as theirs… but he curbed his urge, seeing their fatigue… and that they were in their own world right now, anyway. Zelda was fighting a losing battle against sleep… more than once her head sunk forward and then snapped back… she was feeling wonderfully warm, snuggled against Link's chest, his arms around her, his chin on her shoulder…

The platform reached the top and the thick chains loudly clicked to a stop. Her sweet knight jumped up and pulled her with him. Where on earth did he take his energy from?

Then she saw why he would be so excited… A tall Rito with silvery plumage greeted them on the steps further up. She saw that he walked a little laboriously and his wing was in a sling… still, even at night, she could see the pride with which he carried himself… and his cordial smile.

"Finally! Ah, that is a relief to see my other two saviours… I was beginning to fear… Are… are you two alright? You look hurt!" Tamali greeted them, then immediately stepped forward with concern as he saw their undoubtedly frightful state.

"If they were, father, I would have sent someone up to make preparations…" Veneli mumbled, slightly indignant.

"Thank you for your concern. I assure you we just look a mess…" she promised.

"And smell one, as we've been kindly informed…" Link added with select evenness, directing a mild smile at the boy.

Tamali picked up on the subtle hint immediately and shot his son a stern glare. Then he looked back at them, a mixture of deep regret and genuine thankfulness on his features. "My friends… if I even have the right to call you that… I have been informed of what has transpired during my… absence…" His expression turned substantially harder. "I cannot apologize enough for the actions of my men. They were afraid and leaderless, but that is not nearly sufficient excuse. Then you were held as prisoners… All because of my-" The rooster's sombre confession was cut off.

"Commander Tamali. I assure you, from the bottom of my heart, if you provide us with a bath and a bed, every single transgression against us will be forgiven and forgotten." Link interrupted, a hint of jest only lending more earnestness to his request.

Thankfully, the silver warrior was rather amused by the interjection… and didn't fault him for breaking in on what seemed like a genuine apology. On the contrary, he seemed relieved by Link's openhearted reaction. "I believe I have taken your subtle cue." he chuckled. "Sorry. Here you are, visibly exhausted, and I bother you even further. Though do not think you have so easily escaped this topic. I do mean to make it up to you!" Neither Link nor she knew what to answer, so they both just awkwardly shuffled around.

"Thankfully, I have asked my people to stay at their homes… or you would hardly be able to make a single step for a whole flight of curious gawkers would stumble over themselves to catch a look of you. But now, come! I'll lead you to your nest."

Zelda couldn't even remember the path back towards the guest-house on the other side of the village… Even though it had to lead over the same dreadfully swinging, creaking bridges and walkways as last time, it seemed her mind was now too fatigued to even care about such an inconsequential thing as gravity. The last thing she could recall was Tamali telling them to rest for as long as they desired, that all else would follow once they had awoken, as well as her own unspoken vow to do just that.

Half an hour later, when a young Rito girl entered their sphere to bring them a little midnight snack, she only found two wholly un-wakeable Hylians, tightly embraced on the bed, who hadn't even had the strength to put anything on after they had washed… and by the look of things, they hadn't even managed to dry off…

She respectfully left, closing the door as silently as she could…

* * *

Link

Awakening came slowly, tentatively guiding his mind from dream into reality without haste. With his eyes still closed he could feel his torso being caressed by early rays of the sun… he was pleasantly warm, even though a cool breeze gently brushed over his skin. All around him was the strangely relaxing creaking of wood that was beginning to heat in the warming rays of light… He knew immediately where he was, much to his own surprise… In the end, when he had brought his beloved to bed, he had been so tired that every movement had hurt. Hardly a second could have passed between his head hitting the pillow and him falling asleep… possibly he had simply collapsed beside her, he wouldn't be surprised…

Carefully, he opened his eyes, hoping that all that had transpired hadn't just been a fabulous dream. He had to blink a couple of times to dispel the murky goo in front of his vision… then involuntarily jerked back.

…not quite what he had expected… About five centimetres in front of his nose was… a foot. Proudly taking over all of his view… Briefly his sleep-addled mind wondered if it could be his own, and was actually afraid some nightly acrobatics might have tied his whole body into a knot… Then he realized this particular specimen was quite a bit too small… and delicate… and adorable…

Smiling in evil glee, he tentatively moved his hand upwards, erected his index finger, the most effective weapon for this situation and very gently began to tickle her soft sole.

The reaction was immediate and ridiculously cute. Her leg twitched, then squirmed out of the way as from somewhere above his head came a series of unintelligible, very grumpy sounding mumbles that abated into a tiny, rapturing snore. No doubt he now had a few vicious curses weighing on his soul now, cast by whatever sinister sorceress she was in her dreams…

He turned his head to look up, amused at the nightly travels this princess carried out… and found himself face to 'face' with two beautifully rounded, ivory globes…

Link basically jumped from lying down to perfectly upright at the foot of the bed with unheard of speed, startled to his very core. A perplexed and delighted shout of a laugh escaped him before he clapped his hands over his mouth. Poising in complete motionlessness, he stared at his blonde angel in all her… bareness… Thankfully, his brief burst of giggling hadn't even caused the merest twitch in her log-like slumber…

But why was she…

Link looked down on himself… Oh, yeah… another little chuckle escaped his lips as he gazed at both of them in all their natural glory. Indeed, they both had been teetering on the edge of complete oblivion yesterday…

His eyes trailed over the magnificent form in front of him, so enticingly close, so painfully out of reach. The elegant line from her neck to her shoulder… Her slim but still seductive waist… which led to her undoubtedly luscious, firm rear… and her long, shapely legs… He could only see her from the back, but it was more than enough to send his brain into all kinds of conditions… and not only his brain…

The temptation to softly sidle up against her, feel her tender skin on his, slowly wake her with kiss after kiss became nearly irresistible. Some of his organs that occasionally usurped rational thought practically demanded he do it… But his actual reason dictated a no.

Twice now he had endangered her slumber, but it had remained unimpressed… It was obvious she needed a little more… No wonder after yesterday's madness!

With great effort he turned around, rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, thought even better of it, turned back and very tenderly put the blanket over her. He couldn't just leave her so exposed, could he? In no small part because it might actually drive him mad… Despite his best intentions he couldn't resist giving her the tiniest kiss on the very tip of her long ear. Her shoulders squirmed a bit at the little tickle, but an adorable smile grew on her face for a few seconds before she sunk back into deeper strata of slumber.

Now he finally turned away, stepped over to the large balcony-like window and attempted to calm his raging hormones.

The view was magnificent! Two hundred metres above ground, a verdant see of trees below, gently waving in the wind and finally crashing against the sheer cliffs of the far mountains. The last remnants of morning mist in the air playfully wove the sunlight into a faint rainbow that seemed to span the entire plain… The September sun was still hot on his skin, while the constant lofty breeze was pleasantly cool… not long now and autumn would start its conquest of the world in earnest.

A Rito flew past quite closely by the window he was standing at… still quite nude… His hands automatically twitched to cover himself, but the big bird was already out of his vision again… Link chuckled and shook his head... admittedly, he hadn't considered that, even though from this vantage point there was no other nest visible, for one of the winged people _everything_ was in sight. He had to imagine one of them, just merrily flying by, probably gawking at the strange guests, and suddenly be viciously and mercilessly assaulted by utter nudity… He had to stifle a laugh as he could almost hear the startled squawk and hysterical fluttering…

Stepping back into the relative gloom of the round bedchamber he decided that, maybe, it would be best if he got dressed… Think of the children!

A glance at the bed revealed that Zelda was still lost in the arms of Morpheus, but had once again tossed herself around and was now facing him, her long hair almost covering her entire face. Goddess, how he wished she would finally wake up, just so he could talk to her again… celebrate this glorious day by simply being together…

Link gazed around the quite large room, trying to find something to distract himself with. He actually really liked the Rito architecture, he had to admit. The spherical nests that were high enough for three levels provided an interesting sense of space. He suspected the lower floor was just for storage, the large middle level had the fireplace, bed and other furniture and a ladder led up to a circular upper floor, the hole in the middle to allow the smoke to leave through the ceiling, naturally.

There were windows everywhere some small, others, like the one he had just exposed himself through, were even Goron-sized. Most of them were currently shut... He went on a quest to open them all, just out of interest… As he thought… With an impressed smile he looked around once again. Now the whole living area truly made the impression of a platform magically hovering in the air as he could look outside every which way seeing nothing but lofty heights. A magnificent view… although you certainly couldn't be acrophobic, or else this would be hell…

A soft, almost hesitant knock threw him out of his reverie. His hand twitched to where his sword would normally be, before he, once again, remembered that he was just in his undies. Inwardly shaking his head at his jumpiness he hastened for the door… he hoped he wouldn't at some point turn out completely paranoid.

He opened the door and his heart made a leap of joy. Not because of the two young Rito girls that nervously stepped from foot to foot, but because of the tray one of them was holding. The thing was practically overflowing with fruit, fresh bread, butter, salt and other goodies that let Link's mouth salivate.

The girls' eyes turned wide, they looked just about ready to flee. He must have made quite a picture, standing there in just his trunks, predatory look in his eyes, slobbering like a Hinox.

"Err… sorry… I only realized just how hungry I am…" he mumbled, feeling his face turn quite warm.

Luckily, the girls started giggling instead of panicky escaping. "Here you are, sir! We hope it's to your liking!" she squeaked most adorably as she handed her tray over to his hands trembling in anticipation.

"Thank you. It looks magnificent!" he slavered, his stomach painfully jumping up and down, almost as if it meant to just climb up and do the eating itself to save time.

The little Ritos laughed with honest glee and squirmed around with slightly coy coquettishness. He got the feeling that something burned on their beaks.

"S-Sir? Can I ask you something?" the one who hadn't been holding the tray finally had the courage to twitter.

"Please, just call me Link!" he immediately asked. Being called 'Sir' made his skin crawl. The two chicks glanced at each other and giggled sheepishly, which made him smirk.

"I-Is it true? That you freed the dragon?" she peeped, eyes wide in anticipation.

"Well… it's a bit complicated, but yes, I suppose it is…" he replied, still a bit unsure himself.

"And that Veneli helped you save his dad?" the other chimed in, to which the first kid immediately scoffed. "Veneli said so… He is such a dork! It can't be true, can it? He's just making stuff up!" And still, there was this slight hope in her voice that it might actually be the truth.

"It sure is!" Link replied with a sly grin. "We couldn't have done it without him!"

" _Seriously_?!" both screeched in unison. The glanced at each other again, giggled very girlishly, then fluttered off as one, yelling "Bye mister Link!" over their shoulders.

With a eyebrow-raised smirk he suspected he had a pretty good idea what those two actually were interested in…

However… No more distractions! Culinary emergency!

Closing the door with his foot he basically ran back into the main room and placed the tray on the table.

For about .5 of a nanosecond he wondered whether now he should wake his princess… but another, closer look at the feast in front of him told him just how much she probably needed a few more minutes of sleep.

His hands trembling in anticipation he tore off a large chunk of bread. There were nuts in it! His love for the Rito suddenly knew no bounds!

His first bite was just on the way to his mouth when…

"Mwuhmmm… 's tha' food?" his favourite royal pronounced with all the refined elocution of an Octorok.

Farore's mercy! What have I done to deserve such cruel torment?!

Despite the delicious smelling bread almost touching his lips, he put it down again through sheer force of will… and his stomach gave a roar of fury.

"Oh now you wake up! When _I_ have food! Not when I give you a kiss, though… Only for a meal!" he grumbled in mock anger as he swallowed whole boat-loads of spit.

"Important things are important… others aren't." she countered, wholly unmoved by his words. She rolled herself closer to the edge of the bed, still locked in that delightful state where she was still too drowsy to care about noble poise. She was just about to stand up when, at last, she realized something felt a tad odd… and that it might be a bad idea to just peel out of the sheets.

Link had to suppress an impish giggle as he could see the half-slumbering gears in her head sluggishly begin to turn. He could also pinpoint the exact moment when everything clicked into place.

"Errmmm…" she errmm-ed, sitting up, still tightly wrapped up in blanket, gazing around.

Link watched her every move with decidedly malicious glee. "Could it be that you have a conundrum, dear Zelda?" he asked sweetly and, just as her gaze returned to him, finally bit into his buttered bread with delicious slowness.

Her face turned impressively sour. "I seem to have a certain deficiency in vestment, as I am positive you are aware…" she growled, still trying to scan the room for any trace of her clothes.

"My, my… and with all the windows so widely open! How absolutely uncouth of you, princess…" He took another large bite from the truly magnificent bread, sighed and smacked in obvious ecstasy. "An' wif food so close too! 's a shame!" he pronounced with his mouth dangerously full.

Her mouth made subconscious chewing motions as her eyes were at rapt attention on his lips. "Link… please! I… I'm naked!" she whispered with almost heartrending desperation… almost…

"So? If you want some of it before I eat it all up, go ahead and stand up! I believe, I've seen it all before…" he replied, letting pure nastiness flow through him… And, naturally, it didn't mean he wouldn't be delighted to see it all _again_!

Zelda's expression turned as murderous as her skin turned red… he was surprised he didn't immediately turn into a jet of flame. With admirably regal composure and posture she ascended, the blanket wound tightly around her shoulders, yet leaving an exhilarating amount of legs uncovered.

For the second time today he felt his blood rush through his veins as she elegantly strode over, her eyes hard, her lips so tightly pressed together they were nearly white. He was not a 100% sure whether he hadn't gone too far and genuinely upset her… he liked living on the edge…

As gracefully as if she were wearing a perfect ball gown, she sat down beside him, her eyes beginning to sparkle as she saw all the little culinary jewels in front of her.

"Fiend!" she spat at him with the most lovely pout. "I can't even eat like this!" Her hands were indeed busy with keeping herself covered… though it wouldn't be unmanageable… "You can start making your impudence up to me by feeding me! Quickly!" she snapped. He could hear her tummy growling even through the thick fabric…

With an enraptured giggle, and shedding all pretence of aloofness, he jumped to his new task with absolute enthusiasm. Grinning like a complete fool, he slathered butter on a generous piece of bread, sprinkled salt on it and reached it over to Zelda's mouth, which was already forming a playful smirk, despite her best efforts to appear inexorable. Her obvious delight at devouring the little morsel proffered by his hand filled his heart with sparkling glee.

A soft, long sigh of contentment escaped her luscious lips after the piece of bread had completely disappeared in surprising speed. He felt he had to be thankful he hadn't lost a finger to her voracious appetite.

"Hhhhmmm… very well. You may yet live to see another day…" she pronounced with great mercy. She shifted a tiny bit on her chair, which had the enchanting side effect of the blanket slipping just the tiniest bit over her shoulder. Link's insides turned rather butterfly-infested and he swallowed as his mouth suddenly appeared dry. The strangely delayed realization that, one arm-reach away, he had a very attractive and, indeed, very very naked Zelda beside him. The little shimmer of skin on her shoulder aroused certain appetites that dwarfed even those for food… and that was not an easy accomplishment.

Judging by the blonde minx' smug grin, she had a pretty good idea of what he was thinking… and why he suddenly seemed to shift around rather uncomfortably.

"Is something the matter?" she asked with the perfect innocence of an angel. He had the sneaking suspicion that the accidental, revealing slipping of fabric had not been quite as accidental as initially assumed… How amazingly demonic! Apparently she enjoyed seeing him in this predicament! …as he had enjoyed hers, his second thoughts added justifiably.

"Oh, you know… sometimes the tension just overwhelms me. An old ailment... that you seem to cause quite regularly." he replied, with an honourable attempt to keep his voice completely steady as he resisted the urge to squirm his lower body away from direct attention.

"Am I to understand that I am the reason for all your ills?" she countered and, with admirable self-control, kept her gaze steady at his face… not that she needed a closer look to know what was going on.

"Certainly the ones most discomforting. Quite frankly, you should be ashamed." he replied, a wide smile on his lips despite all adversities. Goddess, how he had missed this! Their little bouts of wit were without a doubt in his mind the… second most fun thing he knew. And lately, there had been so little time to just let it flow… so little time for it all to happen naturally, without constant worry for every lost second… For the first time in weeks… their minds were free…

They stared at each other, each enjoying the other's attempt to keep mischievous smiles from flashing on their lips.

"Very well…" Zelda finally said and re-concealed her beautiful shoulder with a casual motion. "I shall torment you no longer then. I will not be responsible for your pudendal intumescence from this day forth."

He knew he had lost… He could see in her eyes that she knew that he'd lost… Only one thing to do, then: Receiving the consolation prize!

Slowly, to let everything find its place indolently, he arose and walked over to her with a slightly bashful smirk. During their almost saucy conversation a fetching shimmer of red had appeared on her cheeks… Her crystal clear, sky-blue eyes followed his every move, looking both nervous and longing… Goddess above, but she was beautiful…

Link bent over so he was on one lever with her. Exceedingly gently, he took her face between his hands, the feeling of her skin alone sending pure pleasure through his brain. Without a moment of hesitation, heart hammering in his chest, he pressed his lips against hers. Zelda answered his call, kissing him back with heated ferocity. He knew she couldn't use her arms right now, as the blanket would slip… She used her feet, encompassing his legs, letting her calves brush against his, pulling him even closer. Those tiny, adorable squeaks in her throat were back… If he wasn't careful, he would devour her right then and there…

After an all too short eternity he retreated just a little, just enough so he could speak with their noses still touching.

"What is a little torment… against being with you?"

He had just enough time to see the eternal light in her eyes sparkle to new heights before she smashed her searching mouth against his again…

With sudden bafflement, and a distinct jerk in his loins, he felt her arms firmly embrace his head, as if holding on for dear life. He pulled her up so they both were standing… felt the soft skin of her chest against his as she pressed herself against him…

Within a second their already fierce kiss turned a lot more urgent, more hungry, lost all of its innocence. His hands travelled down her shoulders, delighted in their gentle shiver his contact elicited. Ever further down he travelled, his plan to remove the pesky blanket that was still wedged between their lower bodies, denying him access to all the marvellous rest. He wanted it all!

His fingers found the hem, dug a little deeper on the inside so they reached her hip. The little noises from her mouth got even higher, more thronging.

He gripped the fabric, ready to tear it off!

Knocking on the door…

Both exploded away from each other, startled, though in a heroic reflex action he raised the blanket back up instead of removing it, covering her once again.

Utterly out of breath, they stared at each other for a second, confusion about being interrupted slowly turning to mild anger. Each saw it all too clearly in the glazed, hungry eyes of their opposite: "What utter, degenerate demon would interrupt them NOW?!"

"My lady? Sir? Are you decent?" a young Rito-woman's voice sounded muffled through the door.

Both gazed at the door, then back at each other. Link looked down at them both, his hands on the thin fabric the only thing that safeguarded Zelda's honour. He looked back up with an exceedingly doubtful expression, making a very flushed princess giggle very un-princesslike.

"Hardly?" he shouted back, not bother to hide a certain irritation from his tone, making her laugh even harder.

"Uhm…" the girl uhm-ed, obviously taken a little bit aback. "I… was asked to see, whether you would had recovered and… if you now wished to meet the High Chieftain and… but I can come back later…" She had that certain hopeful tone of voice that you couldn't really be mad at.

Link sighed, gazing deeply into his beloved's eyes… the regret in them was almost palpable, but it also meant that she had already decided to postpone the thing they were so close to finally accomplishing again.

"You know… people with more sense than us would politely, yet firmly, ask her to flutter where there grew no feathers…" he moaned, silently enough.

"People with more sense wouldn't even be on a quest such as ours…" she replied dryly.

"We could refuse… I could name a few favours they owe us…" he muttered, stalling for time, mainly so he could keep holding her in his arms.

"We could and they'd have to accept it… but it would be rude… and we have just earned their friendship. Let's not strain it already, hm?" she suggested, though he could sense just how much her own diplomacy-mode annoyed her currently.

With a final deep look into each other's eyes they tried, and mostly failed, to curb their raging hormones. Still, they separated, though not before she tormented him a tiny bit more by leaning in to kiss his earlobe and, almost inaudibly, whisper "Later!".

She turned quickly, whipping her silky hair against his body and face… granting him yet another whiff of her intoxicating scent… By the goddess… she knew how to play him like a fiddle… And he enjoyed it more than was probably healthy.

Taking a deep breath to finally get all decidedly naughty thoughts from his glowing mind, he averted his gaze from her. A sudden realization flashed through his brain, which he acknowledged with a click of his tongue. He had opened every single shutter of every single window before his little blonde demon-angel had awoken, opening the entire room to the world outside… Well… he certainly hadn't closed any of them ere their hanky-panky had started… As much as he unjustly hated the Rito woman at their door right now, he had to admit it was probably a good thing she had interrupted them when she did.

"We'll be out in five minutes!" he yelled, morosely starting to get dressed.

* * *

Zelda

'Five Minutes!' her inner self grumbled. Only a boy could possibly think that a girl could get presentable in five minutes! Thankfully she was in the surprisingly liberating position of simply not having much of anything to perform cosmetics… But at least her hair shouldn't be jutting off at all angles, ready to stab someone!

Link, this complete, adorable fool, had watched her the entire time as she brushed it with that dumb grin of his that made the butterflies in her belly dance. Also, he had continued to occasionally provide her with a piece of fruit she could nibble from his fingers, much to both her stomach's and her soul's delight. Naturally she had remained scantily clothed as long as possible… Had to keep him interested, didn't she? Also, it would be unfair if only she felt… hot.

So, finally after ten minutes they emerged presentably and were greeted by a slightly flustered young Rito woman with orange plumage. She could be 16 or 30, it was hard to tell with the bird people… though her nervously excited demeanour made it rather obvious that she was closer to the former.

"There you are, erm… I mean, err, thank you for coming! Really, there is no rush, I mean it! It's just, Commander Tamali wanted to make sure you were alright and I fear he might worry if I take too long to report and…" she babbled without surfacing for air.

"Easy. He saw us when we arrived, he knows we aren't gravely injured. Feel free to start breathing again whenever you like!" Link chuckled and the girl gasped a little giggle of relief. "Besides… it's not like you disturbed us during anything important…" You had to know him well to be able to tell that his pleasant smile was a cleverly disguised dirty smirk. Zelda knew he was joking of course… still, some of her inner thoughts played with the idea of shoving him off the walkway.

"Sorry… right! Let me start again. I'm Puee, the high Chieftain would like your company at your earliest convenience, but stresses that he understands, if you need more rest. If you would like to meet him now, I would be happy to guide you to the grand nest."

Zelda gazed at Link, saw his rather perplexed expression and had to suppress a chuckle. The suddenly very stilted, 'political-guest-talk' had apparently taken her poor country knight aback. Just this once, she jumped in to save him.

"We would be honoured to meet him now. Lead on!" she told her, her regal-friendly voice somewhat disturbed by the strain of not breaking down laughing.

The young woman nodded and led the way back down towards the gargantuan trunk of the Deku Tree. Both Link and Zelda took little time to be completely exulted by the sight of the village. Up till now they had only seen it at night or from very far away… Every one of the spherical nests had a different colour, making the whole town look like a sparkling toy box that would conjure a smile on every child in the world. The purposefully rickety and contorted looking wooden gangways too were a lot more interesting than they had seemed in the dark. There was hardly a piece of timber that wasn't artfully carved into some shape or form… it appeared as if every homeowner here took pride in decorating the metres of walkway in front of his or her nest… At one point they actually saw a Rito-father teach his son how to use rasp and file to create smooth form out of simple wood. When the boy spotted them, his eye got wide and he whispered something to his guardian, who nodded and smiled. The starry-eyed look of adulation the child then showed warmed her heart more than she wanted to admit.

The two heroes couldn't stop marvelling at the village, constantly orbited by dozens of Rito, ascending and landing incessantly, their magnificent plumage a smaller reflection of their beautiful nests… The many branches of the Tree, thick and thin, added extra contrast to the whole image of the unique cityscape, so tightly clutching onto the four mighty limbs of wood. Even the nerve-wracking crossing between those naturally formed 'alleyways' was filled with enjoyment for her as there was so much to look at, she completely forgot to look down. Link, naturally, annoyingly, danced over the swinging bridge as if it were second nature…

Their guide took a while to thaw, but her curious questions and his knight's talkative, easygoing way quickly opened her up. She spoke vividly of how, in a single night, she had felt the mood in town change, how forced grins had turned to relieved smiles, how normally feuding people had greeted each other again, how even her cranky grandmother had taken a few steps out of the nest… She pointed at the particularly involved squiggles she had painted on the outer wall of her home when they passed it incidentally. She told them fervently how dreadfully boring this village could be and how she was absolutely convinced she was old enough to finally fly out into the world, even if her parents thought otherwise.

Zelda could feel the girl's excitement at being able to speak so freely to them, who she more than once called 'the heroes'… It amused her how, within a day, the inhabitant's disposition had changed from complete, fearful mistrust to a whole new spectrum between neutral curiosity and the occasional peak of awe. How malleable, how fragile people's minds were… Now it would be on them to firmly cement the fickle favour in the Ritos' hearts and turn it into genuine trust. The more she thought about it, the more she wondered whether their real task was less the awakening of dragons and more the unification of Hyrule's often disagreeing or even feuding peoples under a common cause…

"What are you thinking about?" Link's gentle voice softly pulled her from her pondering. She hadn't even realized that she had stopped walking during her musings, looking dreamily at the High Chieftain's home…

She replied to his smile with her own. "I'll tell you later…"

He nodded, took her hand, interlocking his fingers with hers and leading her further. For a brief, stupid moment her heart jumped, old reflexes telling her that such a show of affection were an absolute impossibility for a princess… especially with someone alien to court…

'Idiot!' she chided herself. 'You're not in your cage now! Enjoy it! Show the world that this boy is yours and that no-one gets to touch him! …At least those parts that didn't live it the abhorred corset of court ceremonial…' Her thoughts conjured a silly little grin on her lips. Her hand squeezed his a little tighter… Mine! Mine alone!

They reached the palatial nest which, bathed in sunlight, really did look quite resplendent. Four perfectly white spheres forming a sort-of circle, all loosely connected by more walkways or bridges, with a smaller, fifth one a little higher on the trunk… Almost like its own compact district within the larger village… The two banners that hung from the front nest, which served as entrance and 'throne room', looked truly magnificent at day. The many coloured feathers of all inhabitants shimmered in the light and gently danced in the breeze, depicting one, close-knit community.

It all had seemed foreboding, forbidding even, when they were first lead here… Today it appeared welcoming and warm… and it had very little to do with the time of day…

Once again they were bidden to wait in the sitting room before the actual throne room as Puee vanished further in. Like before, both teens stood or sat around, quite unsure what to do while waiting… though now fretting nervousness was replaced with curious anticipation.

"So… how clearly shall we communicate a certain level of 'Told-you-so' to the old owl?" Link suddenly whispered into her ear.

She couldn't suppress a certain gloating smirk as she continued to inspect a wooden sculpture of a swooping hawk she hadn't even noticed last time. "If you manage to do so without seeming like a juvenile jackass, be my guest!" she answered. Then, her grin turning quite impish, she couldn't resist adding "On second thought… better you refrain from speaking under these conditions…"

"Why you little…" he growled and poked two pointed fingers into her sides, just where he knew it had the most effect. She squeaked dreadfully loudly before she could clasp her hand over her mouth. "Stop that!" she hissed, gazing around and listening for anyone running towards them.

"I'm sorry, but as I am a mere juvenile jackass, I simply don't have the capacity of resisting something that makes such a beautiful sound!" he cooed with that adorable, stupid grin of his. For a second she was very close to poking a spot of his anatomy that might make him squeak just as exquisitely. He was, thankfully, saved by the loud crash of a door in the large room ahead.

A few hustling footsteps later Veneli slid around the corner into their view, eyes wide with excitement.

"Finally! What were you two doing all this time?!" he squawked, practically bouncing up and down, all pretence at noble adulthood gone for the moment.

Link and Zelda shared a very brief glance, both their lips curling into a slightly sheepish smile as they thought of the thing they _hadn't_ been able to do.

"What's so funny? Come on! Everyone's waiting!" the boy twittered, grinning as he darted forward, took both their hands and pulled them away.

They allowed themselves to be yanked through the empty throne room and further back, across what looked like a beautifully kept courtyard full of raised beds of flowers, vegetables and fruit.

"Easy there, feathers!" Link chuckled as the boy seemed to get increasingly antsy the closer they got to the nest directly adjacent to the Tree's trunk, the largest of them all.

"I just want to know already!" he moaned as he ripped the door open.

"Hm…" her protector hummed with a pose of theatrical pondering. "I wonder if we shouldn't suggest that you be removed from the chamber until we're done recounting what happened… It really isn't a story a kid should hear… What do you think, Zelda?"

"Quite." she nodded earnestly as she gazed into the wide eyes of the young Rito. "Maybe in a few years you'll be ready to stomach it…"

Poor Veneli stared at them both, his gaze twitching back and forth until neither Link nor she could hold back her laughter any more. The teased lad's feathers puffed up in implacable, youthful indignation. "That was so mean! You are… I should've… Bah!" he stomped his foot, caught between exasperation and approaching giggling fit. "What did you really fight in the Ancient Guardian?! The true evil seems to be standing right here!"

"Well, we're certainly not telling you!" Link stated with the most gentle, cruel smile she had ever seen.

Before Veneli could retort, however, a silvery white figure appeared in the already opened doorway, gazing at the three of them with amused interest. "I'm afraid I must ask you to stop teasing my son…" he pronounced, a smirk playing around his beak. "Do you have any idea how hard it was to get him to sleep yesterday? I feel he will simply explode if he has to wait any longer!"

Both of the questionable heroes looked at the tall warrior with a slightly sheepish expression, but he didn't torment them for long. "Come in! I thought inviting you to my home would be more appropriate than a plump audience, considering…" he explained as he led them further in. The main room was like a larger version of the guest house they currently inhabited. In here the Rito wood-working skills truly shined. It was unpretentious, yet of incredibly high standard, as far as she could tell… Floor, gallery, balustrade, furniture… there was not a single nail in sight, it all looked so pristine, so seamless, as if it had grown from nature itself. With a strange twitch in her mind she realized she had, not long ago, actually seen furnishings that had been grown… and, weirdly, they had looked less smooth, less complete. In the middle, as per usual for Rito architecture, was the large hearth, currently unlit as enough light filtered in form the many windows all around. Zelda couldn't help but grin, her mouth slightly open… She adored the bird-people's way of living, so open… so free… endless vastness all around…

Link too marvelled at the large chamber, probably more at the pure craftsmanship than the clever way it played with the natural sunlight… She could always count on his interest when there was some handicraft to explore or something to tinker with.

"I'll go help grandpa!" Veneli yelled, already storming off into another room.

Tamali went over to a small table where a tray with two fine silver cups had been prepared ahead of time. Zelda noticed with increasing sympathy that, even though this man was the de facto leader of all Rito warriors, he was not above serving drinks himself… It was a kind of simplicity that, to her, seemed so much nobler than the infinitely factitious demeanour at the Hyrule court.

Link quickly went over to accept the two cups with a word of thanks, handing one to her. Good manners, too, were a painful rarity among hylian nobility, she reflected, awarding her gallant a proud smile.

"I apologize, I fear I am a rather poor host… My wife and I had decided to let you sleep for as long as you wished, undisturbed… It appears my dear son, however, had sparks on his feathers and asked Puee to come get you… claiming to have my authority, no less… That is why we were a tad surprised when the girl announced that you were standing at the door…" He sighed with the expression fathers struggling with their offspring had everywhere around the world. Zelda was currently struggling with the news that it was that insolent brat that had single-handedly cost Link and her their… moment… and judging by her knights suddenly forced grin he was planning to award their dear friend with a resounding knock on the head.

"I hope you don't hold it against him… He's at that age…" Tamali asked cautiously, misunderstanding both their slightly pained countenance… Hopefully he misunderstood, Zelda thought, turning red just a bit.

"It's quite alright!" she replied

"I already noticed yesterday how he was positively vibrating with curiosity!" Link added, both rallying. Their host seemed somewhat relieved.

The door through which the boy had vanished reopened and a stunningly beautiful Rito woman emerged, her feathers a strong pink and incredibly smooth. Behind her High Chieftain Komali lumbered through, closely followed by the little delinquent.

The woman wasted no time when she spotted them and strode over purposefully… For a brief instant Zelda was unsure what she was about to do, then she spotted the wet shimmer in her eyes. In a very un-Rito-like gesture she spread her wings and hugged both perplexed, blonde teens firmly to her chest before they could utter even a squeak.

"Veneli told me… what you did…" she spoke in a soft, hushed tone as she squeezed them even harder. She released them a second after but left her hands on Link and Zelda's shoulder. Both of them must have looked quite baffled, as the obviously moved hen gave a slight chuckle. "Pardon me… Unexpected from a Rito, I know, especially one you've never met…"

Indeed, what might be a perfectly normal, enthusiastic show of gratitude for a Hylian, or more devastatingly, a Goron, was a quite unusual display of emotion from a proud member of the warriors of the winds.

"Well, as you have now been rather exceptionally introduced to my wife, Saki, I think it is time we stopped standing around, shuffling our feet." Tamali suggested with a low laugh, eyebrow raised.

"Not quite…" Komali's bass resounded through the room and everyone shot him a surprised look. The large bird's dark yellow eyes gave nothing away as he slowly approached and just like before, she had trouble reading him.

"Father, I would…" the younger warrior began but was cut short by a commandingly raised wing.

"No, you would not. It should not fall to the children to excuse the failings of the old. Before we can truly welcome our guests, this old fool needs to atone." he rumbled, then set his gaze back at the two heroes, his expression now mellowed and mournful. Beside her, she could hear Link exhale a silent breath of sudden tension dispelled. "This is a good day… a day of triumph… a day of relief for our people… and I do not remember when last we had one of those… I will not have it soured by my not addressing my shortcomings."

"High Chieftain, we do not-"

"My lord, there is no-" they both spoke at once, but were silenced by him once again raising his huge wing.

"I know what you would say… ones so young… and so pure… are quick to forgive, maybe to a fault… But I am old, my ways rigid… Proper apologies must be offered." He took a hesitant step forward, glanced at both of them briefly, a slight quiver to his beak… Zelda's heart went out to this poor, aged warrior, felt the shame gnaw at his soul, saw it reflected in his suddenly so very vulnerable eyes…

He bowed so deeply that instinctively Link's hand shot forward to catch him, but he stopped himself just in time. "As both High Chieftain and simple warrior of the winds, I, Komali, beg for your forgiveness. The men and women in my care attacked you unjustly and I failed to stop them. When you were brought before me, I treated you as my enemy… even though, in my heart, I knew you were not. And yet my cowardice forbade me from listening to my instinct, as I should have." The deep sorrow and regret in his voice made Zelda's eyes burn with compassion. She gazed at her beloved, who looked himself wrought up with startled empathy, his hand still hovering over the large owl's shoulder, twitching to lend supportive strength. His eyes found hers, both commiseration and a strange sort of rue mirrored in their sad glow. They both didn't want this… Link least of all! She knew he remembered well just how angry he'd been, all the hateful things he had said because of his own guilt with what had nearly happened… because of the dark thoughts that had plagued him… She could see in those beautiful eyes of his that, in truth, he felt like he should apologize himself…

Both of them felt their very core ripple at the sombre display… An old, innocent man, whose only failing was that the heavy responsibility and fear for his people had clouded his judgement, being so desolate, feeling he so desperately ask for forgiveness…

"Then... when, after our first encounter… it was brought to me that you had vanished… and…" His voice failed him, but he rallied quickly. "And with you… my grandson…"

Zelda's gut turned cold and she gasped in shock. Farore's mercy… she hadn't even considered how their sudden disappearance must have looked to the already distraught tribe-father…

"When I heard… when I feared that I might have failed to protect even my dear Veneli, I… such a stark, cold hatred burned within me and… without thinking I… I ordered my warriors to… to…"

She could see Tamali reaching out his hand to comfort his father but it was Link's that gripped the old owl's shoulder in understanding firmness. Her knight's eyes were wide but sympathetic, dry but deeply moved… It was a simple gesture, but one that said everything.

"High Chieftain, there is nothing else that needs to be said. What else were you to think? Sadly, we had no other option than to accept Veneli's help in fleeing, as time wasn't on our side… and I have to admit that in my focus to drive out the evil within the Tree, I did not think how the three of us gone must have looked…" Link spoke slowly, carefully. Zelda's soul thrummed with his own sorrow for what they had caused, even if it turned out to lead to good. He swallowed as the aged leader stood back up straight, surprise in his eyes. "I, too, have to ask for your forgiveness… for making you fear that you had lost everything…" He didn't bow… yet the tone of his voice left no question about his sincerity.

They gazed at each other for a long time… Link had to reach quite high for his hand to remain on the other's shoulder. Slowly, Komali rested his large, winged hand on the youth's arm…

Zelda felt a smile curl on her lips… a silent one, filled with a sad kind of joy. Two warriors, one young and full of vigour, the other old and tired with experience… not even of the same race, and only barely emerged from a senseless enmity caused by a Threat whose true evil lay in spreading fear and hate… and still, despite all that separated them, there was an understanding in their sombre expressions that transcended simple words.

The old leader's gaze lowered. He shook his head and snorted a humourless laugh. "Imagine my shame, my utter disgrace at seeing my grandson emerge from the Ancient Guardian with my son... unharmed… finally telling me that it was you that not only saved him, but enabled his father's rescue…" he rumbled, his spirit bent under his heavy guilt… Zelda could not overstate her respect for him. At court, the people she trusted to admit a mistake, let alone genuinely ask forgiveness for a possibly grave error of judgement, she could count on one hand… What an amazing leader he must have been in his prime…

Thankfully, her valiant knight intervened before he could sink further into despair. "High Chieftain Komali, listen to me! You have more than adequately explained. And even though I do not consider yours a fault that requires such strong words as 'disgrace', I will not insult you by saying something mindless and shallow. So, my lord, with all my heart, I accept your apology, fully and without restrictions." His words might border on pompous, but with eyes as earnest and honest as Link's, even the corny could sound elevating.

She stepped to her beloved's side and took his hand in hers. "As do I!" she assured. His sincere gaze fell on her, making her shiver just slightly… She adored this look on him, so much strength and yet so much kindness… "We may indeed both be quick to forgive, my lord, but do not let that subtract from our candour. Let us consider this matter settled, all shadows driven out from between us… and let us enjoy this day together." Her words were calm, but rife with conviction… and hope that it could come true.

Everyone looked tensely at High Chieftain Komali, the leader of the Rito in Hyrule, maybe even beyond, to make a response. All eyes, both the heroes and his family's, were resting on him, who has already laden all blame, all guilt on his own shoulders and had carried it with honour… Now the choice was his…

After what felt like eternity, the slightly unnerving stare from dark yellow irises mellowed and a warm smile slowly found its way onto the big owl's features… so timidly and hesitantly as if it had been a dreadfully long time since he'd had reason to genuinely show it to the world.

"I think truer words have ne'er been spoken…" he rumbled, relief shining from his eyes. He set them upon Zelda, who felt joy fizzing up from her stomach. "News had reached my ears about the princess of Hyrule, fair as her matron deity Nayru…" She felt her cheeks redden at the unexpected praise. "It appears you have also been kissed by her wisdom…"

Then his gaze came to rest upon Link once more, a hint of respect sparking in it. "And I see Farore's kindness in this young man… You could not have chosen better, my lady."

When before her cheeks had been warm, now they could ignite a wildfire. The two teens keenly tried to avoid each other's eyes, though she could see out of the corner of her eyes that her chosen had assumed a lovely shade of crimson.

The old owl laughed a good, hearty laugh that seemed to vibrate the whole house and infected all with glee. "Children, despite all! You give this ancient rooster hope for the future!" he chuckled enigmatically. "Now I shall make way for you young ones to talk among yourselves. This crinkle-feathered old poultry has wasted enough time already! I will take care of preparations, son! This, at least, I should still be able to oversee without catastrophe! I am sure my grandson will later recount everything in great detail!" and with a low giggle, and a very un-Rito-like ruffling of both hylians' hair, he strode from the room, his gait suddenly 20 years younger.

The two young heroes looked after him, then at each other, feeling strangely elated.

"It has been a long time since I have seen my father this joyful…" Tamali muttered, pride in his gaze. "He feels the strength of his mind wane as the darkness waxes… It has been his greatest sorrow of late…" A small sigh escaped him. "I feel you have lifted a tremendous weight from his shoulders, even though I don't quite know how…"

"What did he mean by 'preparations'?" Link asked, ever quick to notice details.

"It will all be explained later." The silver-feathered Rito replied mysteriously. "Now, judging by the way my dear son is fidgeting, I believe we have about 10 seconds before he goes the way of the bomb-flower!"

"I am NOT fidgeting!" Veneli yelled, ceasing his fidgeting. Thankfully he was a good enough sport to join the laughter he had caused.

With the tense atmosphere somewhat eased through the boy's unwitting joke they sat down at last. As was Rito style they all took one of the thick, vibrantly coloured pillows that lay about and huddled together. Zelda had to smile when Link went a little out of his way to choose a bright green one… then raised an eyebrow when she realized she had subconsciously gravitated towards one of the colour blue. Poor Veneli still stood when all others already sat, gazing around undecidedly with his cushion in hand… A lad on the cusp of puberty, torn between the childlike desire to sit with his parents and the growing wish to be grouped with other adults… She was hesitant whether she should say anything, but thankfully her own sweetheart, experienced due to siblings and probably having lived through that phase himself, offered him a place to his right. A good choice, as it turned out, for Veneli's resulting happy grin was quite contagious.

Saki turned out to be an amazing host. She produced multiple little bowls of nuts, berries and tiny little pieces of bread, baked to a pleasing crispness and Zelda didn't even catch where she had gotten them from. Well versed in Rito custom thanks to many tutors drilling it into her brain, she refilled their hosts' cups to full, then waited for Tamali to fill theirs. Link shot her a thankful glance… Judging by his almost frightened expression, it seemed that Meera, his mother, had been similarly strict in instilling respect for etiquette… but it wasn't really surprising that his brain had thrown out such pointless information as 'Poultry-Table-Manners' in a display of good mental hygiene. With a suppressed chuckle his way, she had to draw the comparison between him guiding her through dark, perilous dungeons while she reciprocated by protecting him through state banquets. Hard to tell which was more fraught with danger…

She took a piece of the proffered bread-cookie to show that they had settled down sufficiently to begin discourse, and Link followed suit. The crispy things were quite delicious, salty and with a slight taste of garlic. She had to stop herself from making a very un-regal display of grabbing a handful and shoving them into her mouth… The breakfast, while marvellous, had been cut dreadfully short as sudden canoodling had overpowered ordinary hunger…

"Now…" Saki began, brushing her fingers through her gorgeous pink feathers. "I fear that, even if my husband would like continue shifting attention towards his son, he too will have a severe case of the fidgets, if we don't dismiss all this pesky protocol soon… and so will I!"

Tamali gazed at his wife in a slightly pouty way hilariously similar to Veneli's own snoot. Then he chuckled, shrugged and the sparkly curiosity his eyes now showed admitted just how right she was.

"True enough… I could hardly sleep either… Please, enlighten us!" he asked, leaning forward, the respected warrior suddenly eager like a child.

And so they did, in tandem, recounting all from Link's vision through the Master Sword to their last, mournful farewell to the Deku Tree. They spoke without interruption, alternating whenever one of them had something to add, six eyes glued to their mouths in fascination. They detailed as much as they could about the Threat, deciding that not only were these people undoubtedly not on Its side, but also that the more good men and women knew about the encroaching darkness, the earlier everyone could start to resist… and the quicker the Queen of Light and her Protector's daunting quest would stop being so frighteningly lonely.

Link spoke at great length about how Veneli's trust essentially saved their mission twice, first to cross the great rift, then to escape their imprisonment. He had a respectful hand on the lad's shoulder when he explained how he stood up to his father, lost in diabolic mind control, described how his courage and power overcame the witch's fell magic. The usually quite loud boy had his head lowered. Zelda could feel the waves of both fiery pride and profound embarrassment radiating from him. It didn't help when Link, at last, proclaimed "This one is going to be a magnificent warrior, and quite soon…", fondly brushing over his head… the poor boy looked ready to sink into the ground while simultaneously deeply enjoying the older fighter's attention. She caught Saki's gaze and they both had to smirk knowingly. It seemed her dearest had won quite a staunch admirer…

They recounted what they had seen further into the Tree… Only Tamali had ever been allowed access and they could see by his horrified eyes how deeply disturbed he felt at their description of all the vile filth that had afflicted his Ancient Guardian. Link went into detail of the dangers they had encountered and how they beat him, not embellishing but also leaving almost nothing out… A clear case of harmless bravado, she thought, amused and thoroughly enjoying it, despite the still vivid memory of the terror she felt during it. Both roosters, young and old, were listening intently, gasping and cooing in perfect unison at just the right time. Another brief glance was shared between Saki and her, leading to another stifled giggle. Boys!

In the end, she finished the tale when she noticed her beloved's voice nearly cracking as it came to the Deku Tree's heroic rescue of her life… and His last minute on this earth. She, too, had to combat her tears…

There was a long silence after they had finished, filled to the brim with intense thought, wonder and grief.

"So the Ancient Guardian is no more…" Tamali stated at last, eyes downcast. "I thought I felt as much… as if His life passed when the dragon erupted from it."

"But you said there was a seedling, correct? A descendant?" Saki wanted to know, her wing around her husband.

The two heroes nodded glumly.

"Then it is natures way… Not even Komali remembers ever seeing a leaf on the Guardian's branches… It appears the time simply had come…" she muttered with brittle hope in her voice. "I am happy for you… and envious… that you got to speak to such a divine creature… and that you found closure…" Her words were kind, but they caused many a worry to resurface.

"There were so many questions we wanted to ask… so many answers that are now lost…" Link lamented. "About this magic we both seem to have… how we can learn to use it… What the Threat is… What our ultimate goal is, even…"

"Magic for the Rito is something innate but extremely individual… Nobody learns it the same way, nobody draws it from the same place…" Tamali explained thoughtfully. "Sometimes, due to life-changing events, one road to ones sorcery might forever close and another path needs to be found… One individual might approach his potential through pure instinct, banging his or her head until the way to success is stumbled over… Someone else will attempt through clever thought, self-control and smart exercises. I have not seen Hylians exhibit magical abilities, but I see no reason why it would be different for you." He looked at them, both fascinated by his explication. Then he shrugged. "As for the other things…"

"Well…" the pink feathered hen began, cocking her head. "It appears you two have been most resourceful and equally successful in your efforts, even without someone to guide you… and it appears your task is ordained by the Goddesses… I am sure that, if you were in need of it, the Ancient Guardian would have used his last minute to explain…"

Zelda looked at her Link, who despite her words had an unsatisfied and morose expression on his face. She understood him all too well… it was infuriating to have met a being who was _present_ during the last cycle, if that's indeed what was happening, and still the answers they desperately sought had been denied to them. "More dumb luck, then…" he grumbled, scratching his chin unhappily.

"Now, after all the colossal adversities you already overcame, don't think of yourselves as just lucky! Or guided by divine providence, for that matter! You have earned every bit of your success!" the experienced said strictly.

"And besides…" Veneli suddenly piped up. "Based on what you told, the Guardian's sprout might have inherited his father's knowledge, right? So all you have to do is find him!" Both Zelda and Link felt a smile creep on their faces. There was a simple, childlike logic to his statement that was nevertheless absolutely true… and strangely heartening.

"Very good point!" her knight agreed, nodding appreciatively at the lad, who grinned in delight. "I wonder if our path will bring us mysteriously to the sprout's location, what do you think, du… Zelda?"

She had to smirk at his nearly using his favourite nickname for her, 'dumpling'. Hardly an appropriate titling for the next supreme ruler of Hyrule… She couldn't care less if she tried!

"I would not be surprised in the least…" she stated honestly, reaching for his hand and squeezed. Then felt her face turn quite hot when Saki shot her a wicked grin.

"Hmm… as we are here in the centre of Rito activity in these lands, we get a lot of news on all different kinds of events…" Tamali explained. "I will spread the word that I want tidings on newly grown forests in remote, hard to access locations… If I should hear of a promising spot, I will try to get the knowledge to you."

Both of them were momentarily speechless and gazed at the silver Rito with wide eyes. None of them had, up until now, truly realized just how valuable befriending the warriors of the skies truly was. They nearly stumbled over their own tongues, trying to thank the seasoned warchief for his help. He only chuckled.

"What, did you think we considered board and lodge adequate reward for saving my son and me, purging evil from our most holy sanctuary and preventing the possible doom of all Rito on the Guardian's branches?" He gave them a look as if he doubted their sanity. "There is very little politics here, my lady, sir knight. We try to keep life simpler. You have earned the firm friendship of my people and may count on our help… especially now that you have entrusted us with the knowledge of such grave danger… What manner of warriors would we be otherwise?" There was an iron determination both in his voice and his gaze… The same in his wife's steely glare and the curt nod she awarded Zelda's questioning look. A thousand rocks seemed to roll off her heart. Could it truly be this easy? She was used to difficile manoeuvring, constant power games and near daily treachery among the Hylian nobility, a terribly depressing gamble of fleeting alliances, false promises and the itching feeling in one's neck you got when a poisoned blade was hovering over it… She had very rarely been in the limelight of politics back in the Heartlands, given that the king, her o so benign father, hardly thought of her as capable to facilitate even the simplest of agreements… Yet, simply being in his retinue, feeling the hostile thoughts of those lusting for power, or the hungry leers of others, hoping for her hand in marriage, had been enough for a timid eight year old girl to have near constant nightly panic attacks.

And here? She knew the Rito were more tribal in nature, kept mostly to themselves and wanted very little part in the lives of other races. They were proud to a fault, quick to anger and slow to trust… But her heart told her unmistakably that, when Tamali uttered this straightforward pledge, there was no hint of wiles, no inkling of treachery in it. Nobody, not even Link, could possibly understand how immensely encouraging it made her feel… and why she went positively weepy with relief.

"Are… are you alright?" Veneli asked, a worried look on his face.

She smiled at him brightly, eyes swimming in tears. Link sensed her complex cocktail of emotions, maybe even understood a little… He smiled softly, reached behind her and gently stroked and massaged her neck in his caring way.

She giggled, partly of the almost foolish happiness bubbling in her belly, partly of embarrassment, and wiped her eyes and nose with a cloth a slightly befuddled Tamali handed her. "In that case…" she laughed between little squeaks of giggle-sobs, "…let us stop with titles or 'ladies' and 'knights'. I'm Zelda, plain and simple!"

Both the silver feathered warrior and his magnificent wife grinned heartily.

"Tamali, plain and simple!"

"Saki, plain and simple!"

"Well then, Veneli, plain and simple!"

"Sir Link of the right honourable house Andrésson, 1st of his name, anointed knight and lord protector of… Zelda. Plain and simple!"

Startled silence… then raucous laughter rang through the entire nest.

* * *

Link

They had separated not long after, following both Tamali's and Saki's insistence that they had already appropriated quite enough of their time and that they should go out and enjoy the day instead of being caught in here. The silver feathered rooster explained that, when they were still sleeping, he and Komali had held a large gathering with nearly all the village's Rito, where they had in broad strokes explained what had happened… and that their Hylian guests were to thank for it. "A lot of these men and women haven't had any interactions with anybody who isn't of the feathered folk…" Tamali had explained. "I vouch for their friendliness… after what you've done, not one of them would be rude. But they may be shy or even a bit uncomfortable. Don't let that worry you, just be yourselves and their curiosity will quickly outweigh whatever reservations they might have!"

Link had wondered about the drastic change in emotional atmosphere he had felt when they were led here by Puee... It appeared that the warchief had, more or less, staked his good name for them… A great gift to be sure! Now they needed to live up to it!

Veneli had jumped up immediately, eager to once again serve as their guide, though in a rather different setting than their nightly escape. However, his hopeful endeavours were mercilessly crushed by his mother, as is the loving way of mothers everywhere. "You agreed to help with preparations, downy!" she reminded him strictly, tapping on his beak.

"Don't call me that in front of…" he hissed under his breath, shooting his mom a dirty look. Link had to stifle a smirk… he vividly remembered the hundreds of times he had shot his dear mother such a gaze bespeaking hellfire, for example when she had _dared_ to squash him in one of her bone-crushing, full-bosomed embrace right in front of Ric and Mart… Naturally, the hoped-for effect failed to happen as it always did, and she just smiled with a _completely_ non-threatening, cocked eyebrow.

"Well, the almost half grown warrior has agreed to help with preparations. Leave those two a little time alone, they'll need it!" she chuckled with an all too knowing brief glance at him. Whatever magic was in him, the very first spell he vowed to learn would be one that kept his bloody face from turning red like a tomato!

The last thing Saki wished to know before they left their hospitality was how long they planned to stay. The two teens had shard a hopeful, hesitant look before Zelda had timidly asked for, maybe, four days… After that had nearly caused an outrage with the pink-feathered woman, they had settled for the middle… a week.

Grinning, their heads buzzing with the immense possibility of one whole week of carefree sojourn, they stepped out of the front door back into the main 'street' of the village. It was about noon, many of the villagers were still walking or flying about, but the morning bustle had obviously already faded.

Link gazed at his Zelda, who had her eyes closed, her neck outstretched so her face could bathe in the still hot September sun. There was a calm serenity in her features that he had seen only so preciously rarely… He thought he knew how she felt… They had overcome the first true obstacle, one that, at one point, had seemed impossibly high… But not only that! Try as she might, his cute little princess was still a monarch and she couldn't help thinking that way. Having formed such a strong bond of respect and friendship with Hyrule's most solitary people was an invaluable feat. One that, as far as he knew, no other ruler had managed.

On one hand he wanted to let her have that moment in the sun, alone with her thoughts… in the middle of a busy street… But after another five seconds, the temptation was simply too much. He made his most prized grimace: Lips tucked between his teeth, cheeks inflated and cross-eyed. His natural beauty sufficiently enhanced, he stepped right in front of her so his face was only centimetres away from hers, effectively stealing the sun from her. Due to his impressive squint, he couldn't quite see her reaction… But hearing a gloriously disturbed "Wueargh!" from her delicate lips was sweet enough. After the initial shock she burst out laughing, which put an end to his brittle composure. His own giggles erupted as well, though he had to be careful not to spit at her.

"A marked improvement, o you faithful sun block, you." she growled in the most adorable way. "Next you should learn to turn your nose upside down. Let me help!" And her fingers, surprisingly quick, pinched his nose and twisted until a congested squeak escaped his mouth. It didn't hurt… just…

"Could it be that I interrupted a moment?" he asked carefully, his voice strangely missing most of its usual timbre. She didn't usually resort to such acts of nasal violence, so he was actually a bit worried that he might have made her angry.

"M-hmm…" she hummed, nodding, her lips pressed together to a strict line… but to his relief, there was humour in her eyes.

"I probably should refrain from stealing sunlight from you, then?" he peeped, as her fingers squeezed a tiny bit stronger.

"Mmm-hmmmmm!" she nodded slowly, obviously satisfied that her lesson was taking fruit.

With ladylike delicacy she released his tender olfactory organ and watched with apparent glee as his face twisted around a few times in its recovered freedom. "Sorry… I didn't mean to…" he began, but was interrupted by her stepping on her toes and kissing the tip of his nose. "If anyone may step between me and the sun, it would be you…" she said softly. Link's heart suddenly jumped into his throat as he beheld her radiant smile, the sudden lively pink hue on her cheeks, the divine sparkle in her big, sky-blue eyes… The incomparable light in them that, just for this time-stopping, magical moment, seemed to shine for him alone, conjured torrents of butterflies in his stomach… Had she really just said that? He could see the pink on her cheeks slowly turn to a fiery red, but she didn't look away… she held his gaze captive with those crystal clear seats of her soul…

His mind was gone, blasted away by her words, her earth shattering smile and her incredible beauty.

…She had said it, hadn't she? He knew, out of all of natures wonders, the one she loved the most by far was daytime's fiery source of life… and she had just, in a way, told him that…

She slowly lifted her right index finger and, with an amused wry smile, pushed his mouth closed. …He hadn't even realized that it had hung open…

She held his gaze for another second, the mixture of girlish shyness and complete conviction in her own words making his brain fume in hopeless confusion and ecstasy. Then she once again stood on tip-toes and gave him a marvellously tender, but dreadfully short kiss.

"Now, come on! I want to explore!" she giggled, danced happily around him and almost skipped along the branch-street.

Link looked after her, needing another second for his thoroughly scrambled mind to reassemble. His hand wandered to his lips that still remembered her taste. Slowly his conscious thought managed to return from whatever ethereal plane she had catapulted them. There was absolutely no way this delightful little minx didn't know how utterly she had just unbalanced him! But, there was also no way she would use such phenomenally meaningful words just to play with his poor brain. A single, disbelieving laugh escaped his mouth, making even more of the passing Rito look, but he didn't care. Still he couldn't quite understand what had just happened, not in all its depth… For now it was enough that it filled him with boundless joy.

Her magnificent golden hair was almost gone from his sight when, finally, he managed to rediscover his still numb feet and slowly started to walk after her…

They reached the main plaza, an impressive stretch of wooden surface, given that it had to be erected on a massive branch two hundred metres above ground. Naturally therefore, it was rather a lot longer than it was wide. Other than that, it looked like a completely normal market place. Surrounded by the ubiquitous spherical nests in a hundred different colours that matched so well the exotically hued plumages of their owners, it made for a magnificent sight. There were only about 15 different stalls, but it seemed these few meant to trump each other with their opulence. They were all decorated so densely and intricately that Link wondered whether any of them had ever just crashed through the wooden floor.

"Link! Look there!" Zelda exclaimed, her eyes shining brightly. Already she hustled towards the first stall. Link grinned as he followed suit at an only slightly more measured pace. He felt reminded of their date when he had smuggled her out of the castle and into Hyrule City proper. Goddess above, he loved that enthusiastic side of her when there was a constant smile on her stunning face and she squeaked with glee. Her incredible elation at seeing all the things this world had to offer was a sight he hoped would never fade… If he could, he would show her every last marvel in Hyrule and beyond, so he could bask in the miraculous light she brought into every day… and his soul.

He rejoined her as she stood bent over basket over basket of fresh fruit, most were familiar, some looked fascinatingly foreign while a few more looked so ridiculous they simply had to be fake!

"Have you ever seen anything like this?" she whispered excitedly, pointing at a bright pink thing with dark yellow turned-down spines.

He shook his head, which only seemed to tickle her more. "I had hoped you would surprise me with your agrarian education, princess!" he chuckled, bending down to place a quick peck on her cheek.

She smirked at him wryly. "My studies in that field have not yet been that fructiferous."

"You are forgiven." he pronounced with a merciful nod. "Let us attempt, then, to fructify them."

"Err… may I offer our esteemed Hylian guests something? A little taste, perhaps?" a slightly unsure, yet melodic voice spoke over their heads. The master of this stall, a Rito woman of indeterminate age with a plumage of rich green, had finished with her other customer and was now eying them with a mixture of uncertainty and friendly interest.

The two shared a brief glance, then Link rose to speak. "Greetings! We would love to! Although…" he chuckled and threw a demonstrative look over the close to hundred different kinds of fruit. "…one doesn't even know where to begin! I'm not exaggerating when I say, I haven't seen such richness in Hyrule City market!"

He seemed to have hit the exactly right note… The hen seemed to nearly burst with pride. She launched into a veritable torrent of explanation. How through the Rito's blessed gift of flight even a comparatively small town was able to offer an impressive array of wares, how the Ancient Guardian's proximity seemed to keep fresh produce from spoiling for weeks, that High Chieftain Komali came by her stall near every day and she thought he had that certain glint in his eye when he spoke to her… She detailed where she had already been, where some of the more impressive pieces that adorned her hut came from… For example, one nasty looking yellowish tooth she proudly pronounced to be a Molduga's canine, which didn't tell Link anything, but which sent Zelda into a coughing fit. All the while the woman grabbed different pieces of her inventory and, with impressive speed, cut them to snackable pieces.

"But oh! Where are my manners! Here I am waffling when I should be serving! Here, this one you must try!"

To both their delight, she had picked the very peculiar fruit they had just marvelled at. The inside was yet another surprise. A homogenous, milky white substance, interrupted only with tiny black seeds, hardly larger than grains of sand.

"Ooh, it looks more like a piece of art than something edible!" Zelda gushed as she took a thumb-sized piece from the tray. Link was a little bit sceptical. The thing's gaudiness made him suspect that it could impossibly keep with its taste the promise it made with its looks.

They popped their morsels into their mouths at once, looking at each other as they chewed. The hoped for revelation failed to happen…

"Not sweet…" he began.

"Not sour…" she continued.

"Not a lot, to be honest…" he finished.

The stall-lady, thankfully, didn't seem perturbed at all. Rather, she seemed quite pleased with herself, like someone who had made a particularly well-done joke.

"What's this rather fraudulent fruit called?" Zelda asked, for which she earned a wide smile.

"Well, considering what you two have accomplished, I couldn't pass this opportunity up!" She leaned forward conspiratorially and whispered: "It's a… Dragon fruit!"

The two heroes had themselves a slightly forced chuckle, seeing how pleased the proprietor seemed with herself, and nodded appreciatively. "How very appropriate!" Link commented. "No wonder we were drawn to it. Shame that its taste seems to have flown away with the real one…"

"Granted, it's not as strong a taste as it should be…" the Rito admitted, slightly put out. "But it works well in salads and such!" she rallied, immediately back into sales-mode.

"I believe you could make quite a hefty heap of rupees with this in Hyrule City…" Link mused.

Zelda immediately seized on the idea, as he knew she would. "Quite! There is a flourishing market for showy, tasteless things that are essentially functionless, once you pass the inner wall. Just make sure to impress how utterly rare and costly something is and they'll buy it all, pretending to genuinely enjoy it."

The Rito looked at them with the predatory eyes of a saleswoman who could already smell bags of rupees. Link had to stifle a giggle. Judging by that lady's expression, they had just launched a tremendous fad among Hylian nobility…

As thanks, she offered each of them free choice of three items. All protests were quelled quite vigorously by her, saying that she insisted after all they had done. So, a bit hesitantly, Zelda picked out three things she had never tasted before. He did the same with two. Then, as the last one, he timidly asked for one of the apples she had on display. He knew it was silly… and maybe a bit childish… to take something so common when he could choose among dozens of little wonders, but… when he saw the ripe, yellow and red skins of a whole tray of his favourite… it reminded him so strongly of home…

He was sure he was being a dolt when the smell of the proffered fruit nearly forced tears to his eyes… and for a second he wished he could just be back in Ord, helping his family harvest the colourful abundance for which their village was known for… They must be nearly ripe, if they weren't already…

He felt Zelda's small hand gently stroke his lower back, softly pulling back out of his reverie. She gazed at him with that tender smile that seemed to make sure whether he was alright. He smiled back, though homesickness might have made it a bit unsteady…

They said their goodbyes to the friendly marketer, who seemed rather eager to close shop early today.

Their next stop, only about ten steps away, seemed to be a stall peddling wooden objects of art. There store itself was already quite incredibly artistic. One side of the window was framed by an incredibly lifelike carving of a tree, most likely the Ancient Guardian… Yes, it had to be! Link grinned as he spotted, high on its branches, a miniature version of this very village, complete with a few intricate bridges and walkways. The other side was a depiction of a Rito warrior, his spear an anchor point for one long branch of the tree to snake around. The whole thing was quite a piece, an artful frame for the store, as well as loving depiction of the relationship the winged people had with their lofty home.

The proprietor gazed at them, obviously prideful at their interest, yet also apparently too shy to hail them. A light blue feathered rooster with a surprisingly stocky build for one of the Rito, who were usually slim as a beanpole.

"This is amazing craftsmanship!" Link opened up conversation, running a hand down the tree's carved bark, genuinely impressed. Despite still being a mere apprentice to his father, he liked to think he was a craftsman himself…

"Did you make it yourself?" Zelda asked, equally fascinated with the wooden warrior's spear.

"I… helped my father, back in the day." he explained, both hesitant and excited at once, giving him the look of a man who wanted to vibrate his feathers off.

"I was responsible for the tree's branches and some of the village…" He sputtered into a nervous giggle. "I remember… I clumsily broke off one of the fine bridges you see just there… I think my old da chased me three times around the Guardian's trunk, screaming things at me I don't think I can ever repeat… I still hear the townspeople laughing at us…"

Both teens laughed heartily at the image that conjured, which seemed to set the anxious man a little at ease.

Link purveyed his wares, his eyes glowing with the sense of discovery. There were numerous items that struck his fancy, some for their shapes, others simply for the impressive craftsmanship. All were wooden, both large and small… most were lacquered or painted in some way… Those weren't the ones he was interested in, he preferred the simpler ones, like…

In an artful little casket his questing fingers found something that intrigued him quite a bit. A small drake, fashioned from olive wood, maybe, a little smaller than his thumb.

'You'd think I had quite enough of dragons for a lifetime…' he thought, amused at himself as he brought the little bauble close to his eye. It was incredibly finely crafted, despite it being only about 5 centimetres in length, you could see tiny scales carved into its body, which curved elegantly around itself, just like the real one had… flowing majestically through the air…

"How much is it?" he heard Zelda's bright voice ask beside him, making him look up in confusion.

"A pretty piece, yes… takes a long time fashion something this fine. Tell you what!" the marketer announced in the archetypical voice of businessmen, which exuded so much 'pure trustworthiness' it made your hairs stand on end. "Since you are honoured guests of the High Chieftain and have driven evil from out home, I am willing to part with it for 20 rupees. But I cannot go any-"

"Seventeen!" Zelda shot in between before he could so much as open his mouth.

"Done!" the stall-master yelled happily. "Pleasure doing business with you! Wait a second, I'll just get you…"

"What are you doing?!" Link hissed, approaching panic as the man rummaged somewhere below his table. It had all gone so quick he hadn't been able to keep up!

"Getting you something!" she answered smugly, taking the little wyrm from his frozen fingers.

"B-But… But you can't… you don't have to…" he stammered, feeling quite lost all of a sudden.

"But I want to! I know you would never have allowed yourself to it, no matter how much you liked it, so I did it for you… my sweet knight…" she whispered the last thing into his ear, then gave him a quick peck on his cheek, which did decidedly not help his already stunned state.

She inspected it closely, a little grin on her perfect lips. "It really is pretty… no wonder you wanted it… your eyes just lit up so adorably…" she mumbled when she refocused on him, her light blush causing him to go fiery red.

"But… I didn't bring any money!" he breathed urgently, his gaze darting between her and the proprietor's bushy tail feathers… the rest was still hidden below his display racks.

"Well Iiii did!" she stated her elegant nose raised a little with an air of superiority. "I, Princess Zelda, ruler of this country, sort of, in my boundless mercy present you with this little treasure that has caught your fancy. This is my will and the will of my people! Resistance is futile!"

"You said something?" the stocky Rito asked, re-emerging from his dive in his wares.

"No." she stated, not missing a beat. "Just nonsense!"

"Ah. Well, here you go, I found something. It is a necklace, after all…"

He deftly snatched the dragon from her fingers and quickly threaded the thin leather strap through a miniscule metal ring Link hadn't even noticed before. Nearly bouncing with glee she took it back, took both ends into her hands and swiftly slung them around his neck. His head still a little numb from surprise, he took a little to bend forward to make it easier… enjoying the accidental hug he was receiving as she tied a knot behind his head. When she stepped back, she gave him another brief kiss on the cheek, followed by an all too short caress with her hand over his jaw.

Feeling like a complete dunce, he fingered his new jewel, bringing it as far up as the strap would allow so he could look at it again. To say that he was befuddled would be like saying the Deku Tree was a bit on the large side… His face must indeed have been humorously stupid, because his princess released one of her high, clear laughs, which never failed to make his insides feel all warm and fuzzy.

"Buh…" he uttered, powerfully eloquent as ever.

Zelda in the meantime had produced a red rupee and had received 3 green ones back. When she looked back at him, still frozen in place, she giggled, then sighed while shaking her head.

"Come along, you hero, you. Let's find a place to eat our fruits before they spoil in this heat!" she laughed and grabbed his free arm.

"Right…" he managed, his eyes still transfixed on… his little dragon… He still needed to get his head wrapped around that. He had never owned anything like this… all he had was useful in some way, he had never seriously thought about buying anything frivolous like jewellery. He had liked this little thing a lot and he had to admit that his fingers had itched with the thought of getting it… But, had he been by himself, he would have put it back down, knowing that feelings of regret would only have lasted maybe a day. And now… a few almost casual words and motions from her and he knew he wouldn't ever part with it. Ever.

* * *

Zelda

Despite only having explored about a tenth of the market stalls, she had decided to go somewhere quieter for now. Her adorable, flustered knight hadn't seemed capable of exploration any longer, she mused, giggling to herself at her success.

They had walked all the way along the 'main street', the most developed branch of the Deku Tree, which wound its way gracefully through, over and under eye-pleasing bunches of the spherical nests. Their walk had ended at the large landing platform they had been dumped on with the nausea inducing rescue net on their first eve here… when all had been different…

It was a beautiful spot, already past the point where the peculiar buildings sprouted like weird fruit, so the view was next to unimpeded. That, however, also meant that the view _downwards_ was rather unimpeded, as Zelda had to rediscover quite stomach-churningly…

Thankfully, the platform was surrounded by banisters on two sides, so she had found a compromise between her death-defying lust to dangle her feet over a terrifying abyss and her slightly more reasonable sense of self-preservation… which some people seemed to lack. So, with one leg on each side of one of the posts, she dug in with Link right next to her doing the same. It was early afternoon and in the September sun all colours seemed particularly vibrant. A few of the trees far down there already sported a few yellow leaves, but they didn't disturb the magnificent view. On the contrary, they seemed like the perfect dashes of imperfection in an otherwise too homogenous palette of verdant hues… The breeze was pleasant, as it was a warm day with a still strong sun… she loved the feeling of wind playing idly with her hair…

Every once in a while she would catch him as he brought his new bauble up to look at it with a slightly worrying look. Then she felt warm streams of delight bundle in her belly at his relieved, happy expression when he found that it was still there. She hadn't ever seen him wear anything that could even remotely be construed as jewellery. On one hand she appreciated that deeply, having always harboured a deep distaste, and distrust, of men that adorned themselves more than even most women would. But then again, she suspected that he simply never even owned anything of the sort. And when she had seen him gaze at this particular piece, his eyes coming alive with both childlike wonder and that tiny, underlying pit of regret bespeaking a boy who, in the past, could never allow himself to want something like it… Simply put, she had wanted, with all her soul, to be the one who gifted him his first little precious, utterly useless possession. And seeing him check every 5 minutes, to make sure that he hadn't, magically, lost it, and the boyish grin of glee he got when he beheld it… to her, they were absolutely priceless.

She was already done with her snack when Link took his apple in his hand. For a few seconds he seemed completely lost in his own world when he beheld it. She remembered how he had picked apples for her, back when they were in Ord… They had been very sour still, but he had said he enjoyed them in this unripe state as well…

He seemed to realize that she stared at him, and their gazes met. His eyes, those honest, deep blue wonders she adored to no end, seemed so open and vulnerable for a second. If she had wanted, she could probably gaze deep into his soul… naturally, she did not.

He smiled, a shimmer of red appearing on his cheeks and on his handsome nose. "Sorry…"

"What for?" she wondered genuinely.

"I'm being silly..." he muttered enigmatically, looking back at the fruit in his hand.

She didn't pry, knowing that this thoughtful, sensitive side of him needed to be handled with care.

"From that impressive stall, I could have taken everything… I have eaten apples a million times in my life, so much sometimes that I couldn't even stand their sight for weeks…" he began slowly. "And yet, when I saw a whole tray of them, I… I just couldn't resist…"

"They remind you of home…" she said very softly. It wasn't a question, it didn't need to be.

He nodded after a second, his beautiful eyes never leaving the fruit he held. "It's so silly… I don't even know where this one came from… could be anywhere… But right now, at home, harvesting season would begin." He chuckled, his face filled with bittersweet nostalgia. "I always, always hated it as a child. I wanted to eat them, surely, but harvest them? Yuck! …especially when, once, I fell from one of the trees… Just once, mind you!" he clarified with an erected index finger. "My ever careful mother, from that day on, forced me to use a ladder… Me! A _ladder_!"

There was so much indignant outrage bulging from his voice that she had to suppress a laugh.

He shook his head, chuckling. "And right now? When I saw that apple, smelled it among all the other delicacies, for just a moment I wanted nothing more than be with them… Watch my brother and sister try to steal away from work, as I have done more often than I can count… Hear my sweet mother yell at them so fiercely they try to flee into the canopy like startled cats… Share an amused look with my father… and do the incredibly, mindnumbingly monotonous work of pull on apple, set into basket, fill basket, carry it down ladder, grab new basket, shift ladder, climb back up. All day."

Almost as if on its own accord, her hand snaked its way to his back, softly stroking it and gently ruffling his long-ish hair above his neck. He slightly leaned into her caress, purring adorably like a cat. "I never knew I could be this home-sick…" he finished, finally looking back at her. She continued her petting, lost in the magnificent blue of his eyes… and the incredible feeling his honesty and trust sparked within her soul. She understood… she understood so well… in a way…

"And what…" she uttered, ever so tenderly. "…what about all this is even remotely silly?"

A tiny bit of surprise, then a little, lopsided smile. "Hm. Maybe you're right…"

"I don't really have a home like you do, Link…" she began, shocking herself a bit with the sudden confession. He too, seemed perplexed… but it seemed like it was her turn to show him a bit of her inmost being… something that was still terribly difficult for her, even to him… especially to him, despite his being one of only two people she could even consider opening up to. The fear of rejection, something she had experienced uncountable times in her young life, was compounded by how dearly she wanted his love. But right now was one of those rare moments… and she needed every one of those.

"I don't have a family like you, for that matter… Or friends, or, or… a village full of people that might have a genuine smile on their faces when I come their way… I have Sally, my one true, irreplaceable friend, who has kept me from madness more often than there are stars in the sky. But she, too, has her schooling, obligations… travels where she has to accompany her father… In short, the time we could actually be together, freely, was never enough… and sometimes interrupted by months. My father… well you got to know him. The others…" she made a vague, dismissive motion with her free hand. "To them I was either work, a nuisance, both or, at worst, someone you simply _had_ to be friendly to, someone you _had_ to smile at, or it would have repercussions. When Sally was gone, do you know how most conversations went? 'A princess should not ask such things.' 'I should leave that matter to others, my lady!' Or my personal favourite: 'If you say so, your highness.'. I felt like the dumbest, most worthless speck of dirt on everyone's heels…"

She shook her head as she gazed out into the unfathomable expanse, as usual searching for the horizon. She knew Link was staring at her, startled probably, at that sudden outburst of painful history.

A sad chuckle forced itself out through her lips. "And yet…" She gazed back into his eyes… alarmed, but sympathetic, open… filling her with strength… "And yet there are moments when all I can think of is falling into my bed, sitting in the library, reading, playing some mindless game with one of the maids… Talking with my father… Sometimes I miss it so much it makes my stomach cramp in need…"

She had to smile in the face of the ridiculousness she had just said. "There is absolutely no reason for you to feel silly… for me, however…"

It was out, all of it… a big, smoke-filled bubble of choking anger that had for years dislodged her soul had burst and she had managed to breathe it all out. Immediately, though, she felt bad… He had shared an incredibly intimate moment with her and she had seized it away from him so she could stand in the limelight… And she had inadvertently told him that his worries weighed far less than hers, despite her not having meant it like that at all. His eyes were still wide… he swallowed… A cold shiver ran down her spine. Please, goddess of mercy, don't let him understand my words in that way! They weren't meant like this! I'm such a fool! She had, in the beginning, truly just wanted to tell him that he wasn't being a dolt for yearning to be back at such a wonderful place! Then her own emotions had spiralled out of control, had demanded to be shared with him!

He looked away… For a tiny, blood freezing instant she thought he might just get up and leave, feeling that she hadn't taken his own trust seriously…

His hands tightly encompassed the apple and to her amazement, he pulled it apart into two perfect halves. Momentarily she was completely baffled by that feat, until he quietly handed her one of them.

She took it into both of her palms, confused for a moment… and amazed…

"You seem to have forgotten…" he spoke softly. "Hyrule Castle may not be it… but you do have a home, Zelda…" He looked back up at her, questioningly. "Or do you think I would return to it without you?"

For a second she just stared at him, clutching her half of his apple, as his meaning clicked into place with glacial slowness…

Then she lunged at him.

* * *

Link

They had meant to make a wild dash for their nest… they had failed. It perched on the other side of the village… Their resistance was spent after less than half the way.

In the countless meandering paths of this village they had come across a particularly out-of-the-way nook, which seemed to serve as an outside storage. Link wouldn't even have noticed, but Zelda had grabbed his hand, had pulled him in… and his body had reacted on its own.

His whole front was pressed against her as tightly as he could, his hands gently on her neck, his thumbs on the delightful softness of her cheeks, his lips so desperately devouring hers… Neither of them had stopped for air for at least a minute, sighing, panting, gasping at each other in ever increasing urgency. His mind was blank, washed away by her touch, her incredible scent. He couldn't even feel the floor under his feet any more… it simply didn't matter. He was still vaguely aware that they were indeed very much in the open, hidden, maybe, behind a few boxes, but anyone could fly above them… and he mostly knew that what very soon would follow was best not done in public… But these weak thoughts were hopelessly overruled by everything else.

He felt her slim hands course through his hair, down over his face, further down over his chest… By the goddess, he needed to feel her hands on his bare skin, all this damn cloth was in the bloody way!

Her tongue sought entry into his mouth, which he granted gladly. They wrestled for a while, probing, entangling, feeling each other like never before. His own fingers searched lower, along her thin blouse all the way to her belt, which they invaded just enough that they felt the first tantalizing hint of hot flesh. She sighed into his lips, he could feel her whole body tremble against her. His manhood throbbed, wedged between him and her heavily breathing belly. Her hands quested on, closer… ever closer to where every fibre of him wanted them…

"There you are!"

They exploded away from each other, both gasping for air, both their bodies screaming in red hot protest. Through glassy eyes they perceived the evildoer, their enemy, undoubtedly the biggest villain to ever exist…

"Veneli!" Zelda panted, her face crimson, her fingers racing to make sure _someone_ hadn't dislodged vital parts of clothing. Link was still torn whether he wanted to hide his… everything or whether he wanted murder the boy, so not to leave any witness… his brain said one thing, his body another…

"What were you to doing?" the child asked, but he didn't look like he actually cared. "I've been looking all over for you! We're about to start!"

It took a good second before his Zelda-addled mind had reconstituted enough to make sense of… words… "Start with what?" he managed, barely.

"Well, your festival, of course! In your honour! What did you think we were preparing?!" he asked, incredulous how anyone could be so slow.

Part of him wanted to ask him to take his festival and shove it in his cloaca… and judging by Zelda's frankly sanguinary expression, she was close to doing something far more drastic. But, naturally, sense won over rampant emotion, most of which was pure lust.

"I see…" she breathed, running her fingers through her hair, still quite exasperated. "Where do we go?"

"The main plaza! Most are already gathered there and the firebox has been assembled. Come on, let's go!" he almost bubbled with enthusiasm. His luck he was cute, it snuffed most of Link's fire…

"Right then… lead the way!"

* * *

They arrived shortly after, eliciting a rising cheer from the amassed Rito once they noticed. Both had had sufficient time to calm down… and to quell any murderous thoughts towards an innocent boy who had chosen a very bad moment… Still, Link was glad he had found them when he had… and not, say, two minutes later… THAT would have been hard to explain…

With a weird, drastic shift in priority, he suddenly noticed that he was currently striding through a large crowd, all facing her and him, cheering, clapping, shouting so loudly it nearly felt oppressive.

"Our heroes!" a massive voice announced, dwarfing all others. Komali had risen above them all and, as if on command, the villagers formed a corridor between him and them. "Our friends! Rito! What is this slack-feathered welcome?! Let us hear a real cheer from you!"

Another enormous wave of rejoicing thundered against them. Grinning from ear to ear, Link felt both amazing and deeply uncomfortable… he was not used to something like this… His only consolation was that his beautiful princess seemed just as happily unsure where to put her hands. Her smile was resplendent… with good reason, almost all eyes were on her, shining brighter than the sun. Following a sudden, potentially disastrous urge, his brain probably still swimming in hormones, he pulled her towards him by her waist and placed a swift but deep kiss on her lips.

The cheer escalated even further, followed by hundreds of loud whoops and whistles that only Rito could pull off. For a split second, Zelda looked furious! Then an adorable girlish giggle enchanted both her and him.

Suddenly, the ground shifted away from them as dozens of wings picked them up and, under ear-splitting jubilation, carried them towards the High Chieftain, who clapped with the best of them… Veneli, too, was picked up while they were at it… the boy seemed to have the time of his life.

None too gently, they were once again set down, right in front of Komali, his son Tamali and Saki, the warchief's wife. All three smiled genially, stepped forward and arranged themselves so that, when they grabbed the two Hylian's hands, they formed one six strong chain: Saki, Veneli, Link, Komali, Zelda, Tamali, all connected, arms raised.

"Hear Rito of this sacred village in the arms of our Ancient Guardian." The High Chieftain roared, silencing the raucous crowd with impressive speed. "Our beloved protector, the mighty tree upon which we have for so long roosted… is no more…"

The news sunk into the assembled people's minds with the dreadful slowness a ship sank underwater… There were a lot of hens and roosters gazing at their neighbours, confused at first, dismayed at last. Link's stomach spasmed uncomfortably. Would they maybe riot now? Call them frauds and throw them out in a fit of grief?

"But, my friends! We knew this day would come. Even if we didn't want to believe it, it was inevitable. A great, powerful spirit has passed on… So, let this evening also be one for grief for a friend lost…" The old bird made a dramatic pause… he really was a gifted orator.

"But!" he suddenly barked, yanking all back out of their reverie. "Grief should only be a little part in today's proceedings! A tiny blemish on this golden eve, reminding us all just how bright life surrounding us all really is. And for that, I pass to my son, who will soon step into my clawprints. I give you Tamali!"

Another cheer ran through the swarm, more subdued, but a good deal more eager as well… They were desperate to hear good news, now that they had been thoroughly devastated. Link was impressed… Komali's plan was simple, yet brilliant… Shoulder all the bad news himself, as he was old and would not lead for much longer. Then, let his son and successor reap all the glory by allowing him to rebuild morale, making him seem like the saviour… to give his leadership a considerable head-start. Very crafty…

"Warriors of the Winds, hear me!" Tamali began, his voice lighter, younger, but certainly not lacking in strength. "These sombre faces ill suit you! What has happened to the stout-hearted fighters whose ferociousness in battle could make Zoras dive for the depths and Gorons burry underground? Have heart! Or did you think we would release you into this night with nothing bad poor tidings?"

A few hesitant, but hopeful laughs… The warchief was doing well…

"These mighty branches won't fall on your heads overnight! Your children, your children's children, and even beyond will still have a home here, but… If that is not enough for you, maybe we truly have gone soft, so far up, so safe in the Guardian's arms… If that is the case, I shall release the fixations of my nest the following day and leave, for I refuse to be Chieftain of people who have forgotten what it means to be Rito!"

Aggressive, Link thought… and most interesting.

"So tell me, ducklings! Have we gone soft in the last centuries?!"

A resounding, a scandalized "NO!" hit them like a wall.

"Are we still the mighty, invincible Warriors of the Winds, steel in our wings and stormy gales in our hearts?!"

"YES!" even louder this time.

"Good! We can stay, then." Tamali joked, to a thunderous laugh of all. He too was a master of speech… he had his people incited to the point where they would laugh at even the most lukewarm of jests.

"Now I finally recognize you again, my people! Now, you are ready for my part of the news! The guardian is dead, aye! But! It is thanks to these two wonderful, I'd almost say, Rito-esque Hylians that I don't fret AT! ALL!"

At their mention, Komali yanked both their hands in the air, nearly lifting them both off the ground. The strange, very typically Rito compliment caused both of them to grin in amusement.

"Why is that? Not only have they vanquished the evil that had infested our Guardian, ensuring our safety for years, decades, maybe even centuries to come, NO! They also managed to learn that our beloved Ancient Guardian has a seedling! A sprout! An offspring to take root and grow and watch over life and nature as its great parent before! Who knows? If, at one point, we decide as a people to leave this place behind, maybe we'll just find another enormous tree to roost in!"

Another round of laughter and applause.

"Brothers and sisters, but that is not all! Not only have these magnificent Hylians done all that… I know you've already come to the same conclusion, but let me say it again for those of you that are a tad slow!"

Yet more good natured jeering.

"These two, the mighty Link and the brilliant Zelda, are the very heroes of one of our most treasured legends! Don't believe me?" he asked in mock indignation.

"They're two, boy and girl… I assume you can tell that even though they're embarrassingly featherless…"

The two heroes shared a wry grin at the, frankly, scandalous merriment the bird-brains had at that.

"They fought a great evil and… oh, what was it again? Oh yes! They woke the eternal Farosh, dragon of our patron deity Farore! Even to you thick-skulled Rito it should be obvious now!"

An enormous cascade of whoops, cheers and yells erupted from the crowd, which soon evolved into a ear-splitting, belly-rumbling chant of "Heroes! Heroes! Heroes!"

Good thing both their hands were held firmly by their hosts… Link, despite once again having a magnificently stupid grin plastered to his face was ready to hide behind a rock… Zelda held herself with regal poise… but he could tell how fluttery she was by the slight trembles on her lip.

With a gentle waving of his arms, and therefore the princess', Tamali once again restored order. "Now, my dear brothers and sisters! One more thing before we begin! These two have done tremendous things… for us and the entire world. But there quest is not yet done…" he too left a dramatic pause… all assembled Rito seemed to scoot closer so they wouldn't miss a thing.

"This dark terror that had us by the beak was only one of the evils these brave souls have to combat. The legend they fulfil speaks of MANY a great peril they must overcome. Their path will be fraught with shadow, their courage and wisdom challenged time and time again…"

An unhappy murmur went through the swarm… Despite the probably accurate depiction of their future, Link felt his spirits slowly rise.

"Rito! I think that I speak for all of us when I say: We honour our debts! We honour our friends! I have, without the slightest hesitation, chosen my way forward! I choose to aid our newest comrades in arms, whether it be with the strength of my spear, the power of aeromancy, or the force of my mind! …well, two of those, most likely…" he joked, followed by another uproar of laughter.

Tamali let a few seconds pass before he finished with all his vigour. "Warriors of the Wind! When the time comes and our friends are in need… ARE YOU WITH ME?!"

The cacophony that resounded quaked the entire branch they stood on and was reflected back from the mighty trunk of the Deku Tree.

When finally it had died down, Link wasn't ashamed to have a tear in his eye… of joy, relief… of not being alone in their colossal struggle any longer…

"You are true fighters, worthy of the storm of Farore! Now, enough bloody words! Light the fire, eat until you burst and have fun!"

A final cheer went around, then they all gathered around a massive iron basin, five times five metres, which had already been filled to twice Link's height with wood. The whole thing was erected in the very middle of the plaza, the stalls carried out of the way. The smith's apprentice worried, as all of the floor was wooden and such a fire would produce enormous heat… but he assumed that this wasn't the first time they were doing such a thing.

A few of the Rito brought great buckets and tipped them out over the planks surrounding the firebox, drenching the wood. Many more such containers were left standing around, ready to be used to douse any errant flames, it seemed.

A few more brought a handful of torches which were stuck into the pile of wood in very deliberate looking spots. When they were done, Komali for the first time let go of their hands and strode a few measured steps forward. Then, with feathers aglow, he flicked his wing in an almost casual way and a whirlwind sprung to life above the huge bonfire, tousling feathers and hair alike. At once the fire from the torches was pulled upwards, goaded by the irresistible draw of wind, causing magnificent streaks of flame to spiral all the way to the top, setting the pile alight in mere moments.

A round of 'ooh's and 'aah's was heard all around. They, too, were eager to see a bit of aeromancy… It appeared, talent such as Komali's, Tamali's and Veneli's were indeed a rarity.

Once the fire was lit and its mighty heat felt on plumage and skin, hundreds of pillows were brought out, as well as at least a gross of tablets and trays, filled to the brim with mouth-watering delicacies.

Link and Zelda found that dozens of their hosts brought them their cushions until they could both lounge any way they wanted… a sign of respect, as Tamali explained.

The feast lasted hours, each family had contributed at least one dish which meant they were faced with an impossible amount of foods and choices… Even when two had made the same, their different recipes still meant that you got a completely new sensation.

There were myriads of pastries, filled vegetables, meat, fish or all at once. There were whole trays brimming with hundreds of tiny fishes you ate whole, tender meats in often nutty or fruity sauces, casseroles, pies… In short, everything except poultry was eaten with great gusto. Even a formidable appetite as Link's, or Zelda's for that matter, had to capitulate at some point… however their effort was very well received with the crowd and drew some good natured nasty jokes on them, quite a few of them from Tamali and Saki respectively.

When, at last, all the magnificent fare had been safely stowed in all their combined stomachs, it was well past sundown. Once, Zelda had tried to pry into their host's mind for more information on the legend they ostensibly fulfilled, seeing as a tale this old, spun by a people this secret might shed some heretofore unobtainable knowledge on their task or the Threat. Tamali, however had kindly, but firmly refused her. "The time for great words has come and gone. Tonight is meant solely for idleness, mindlessness and/or humour. So is our tradition. We will talk at large on another date!"

And so, seeing that indeed, everybody was simply enjoying feasting, company and, indeed, good mindless fun, they too could be happy with that.

They had intriguing conversations with all members of Tamali's family, always about things of the past, or enjoyable little frivolities. Though, as the night progressed, both noticed that the fatigue of the past days had not been completely dispelled by just one good night's sleep.

They spent the time snuggled against each other more often than not, happily together, surrounded by a gently waving sea of cheerful exuberance. Occasionally, either of them would bestow a little kiss or a soft caress to the other, for no reason other than to make the other feel at ease. Calm though as they would seem, both of them were still quite aware of the tempest that had gripped them earlier… And a few gazes at the right time made it clear that the fiery appetite had merely been suspended… and not in the least bit calmed.

That, too, seemed to be noticed by some and would have been the source for quite some raunchy amusement… though with this, Saki had let loose a particularly nasty glance all around which had quelled all such merriment with rigorous efficiency.

At some point during the night, Link had completely lost track of time and Veneli had slumbered motionlessly for at least an hour, Zelda stirred. "I think I will go to our nest now…" she whispered in his ear.

"Is something wrong? Are you feeling alright?" he asked, worried for a moment.

She answered with a peculiar smile that made something in him flutter. "Everything is just fine…" she sang sweetly, pecked him on the cheek and rose from his embrace. Without another look back, she strode off towards their quarter.

He gazed after her, slightly baffled. It had been nice sitting together, pleasantly full with a hundred delicacies, silently watching their surprisingly rambunctious Rito hosts party while they were in their safe, sleepy, happy bubble.

Why would she leave so abruptly? Slightly sleep-addled he was beginning to feel like he had missed something…

To his own surprise, his stomach was declaring that he had mysteriously found more room that needed filling. Laggardly, he stood up for the first time in hours, stretching deliciously until the bones in his back cracked. The cool night air brought some wakefulness back from the void in his head. Most of the feathered swarm had already gone to sleep, it seemed… Some had elected to fall asleep where they had lounged, which filled the considerably more quiet air with an interesting concerto of strangely melodic snores.

Now if only he could get his hands on one more filled tray…

"Well, look who's risen from the dead!" he heard Tamali's voice from behind. He turned around, grinning tiredly.

"Not for long, I fear… my body is making it pretty clear what it thinks about another sleepless night…." he detailed, unable to keep himself from yawning.

"Not all that surprising…" Tamali grumbled genially, before a slightly wolfish grin appeared around his beak. "Though I have a feeling your body might change its mind…"

"Hmm…" Link hummed noncommittally, not quite understanding the warchief's meaning. Again this odd feeling of forgetting something…

The rooster looked at him with a clear hint of confusion for a second, then understanding seemed to dawn on his face… The tired teen wished he could say the same for himself. Tamali sighed and put an almost fatherly wing around his shoulders. "Haahhh, I keep forgetting just how young you both are…" he chuckled, apparently enjoying himself on his behalf. "Go to bed, Sir Link, first of his name blablabla… Or, I should rather say, go to your nest… the bed will be optional…"

Now it was our currently not all that smart hero's turn to look befuddled. Was he insinuating he would be sleeping on the floor?

"Go! Off with you! You don't let a woman wait for too long. I will not bother you until after midday tomorrow!" Tamali laughed and gave him a friendly push in the right direction.

Still a bit dazed from lack of rest, Link was a tad miffed for being so suddenly ejected from the feast, even though it was just the dregs that were left…

Nevertheless, he followed the man's advice and strolled unhurriedly towards the highest of the four built-up branches. That nagging feeling would not leave him alone!

At last, he reached their nest on the very rim of the village, the night's breeze quite strong here and cool enough that he felt the hairs on his arms stand on end. He tried to open the door and found, to his surprise, that it was locked.

His eyebrows in a tousle, he knocked. Why had Zelda barred herself in? Had he made her angry? Was that what Tamali had tried to say so vexingly cryptically?

It only took three seconds before he heard the latch being removed and the door opened. She pulled it just wide enough that her blonde head poked forth, the rest she kept hidden behind the gate.

"There you are!" she sighed, relief obvious in her voice. Her arm reached around, grabbed and pulled him in quite forcefully.

Now he was really confused!

The door clicked back into place as he turned around and…

There she stood…

She was wearing his earring… that was all…

A part of him realized he was staring with his mouth open at the unspeakable wonder in front of him… but his mind, it seemed, had simply given up and left at that unexpected sight…

"I was beginning to think you had forgotten me…" she mumbled. Even in the darkness he could see how red she had gotten, and she was squirming ever so slightly under his gaze, as if the courage that had enabled her to show herself so fascinatingly undraped was now in peril.

A lot of things shot through his dizzy mind… a lot of things he could have said… "Forget you? Never!" or "Haven't I shown you enough that you're unforgettable…"

He said none of them. Instead, he did the one sensible thing: Run to her with the haste of a hundred lifetimes and kiss her like there was no tomorrow…

The last sane thought he had as she melted into his arms was a 'Thank you' to Tamali, who, it seemed, had already repaid saving his life in full.

* * *

 **Wow, this was not easy to write… some parts of it at least…**

 **The discussion with the main Rito family was what took by far the longest, but I'm pretty happy with how it turned out.**

 **This is kinda meant as a closure and feel-good chapter...**

 **Also, I get to tease all of you a little bit, which is, frankly, a fun thing to do…**

 **I believe it's pretty obvious what next chapter will be about. Hope you enjoy that too. (Or not, if that's not your thing)**


	54. Together Again

**This is a direct continuation of the last chapter, so lemons will be had. If that is not your thing, feel free to skip, you won't miss out on plot... even though I consider this part of it.  
**

 **To all others, I hope you enjoy in whichever way you see fit! :D**

* * *

Together again

They wasted little time with tentative beginnings this time. Too big was the hunger, too urgent the need for release, twice postponed on this day alone.

Link smashed into her with as much restraint as he could muster, which wasn't much. They bumped against the just closed door. Zelda, thankfully pretty stably built, simply gave a tiny squeak of surprise and joy as his lips assaulted hers. Her own appetites flared up immediately as she felt his skin on hers, his breath against her face, his arousing scent in her nose…

It had taken significant courage to present herself so completely freely, everything shed, every barrier removed… Had you asked her, whether she would ever consider doing something like this, she probably would have answered 'no, for no one!'

Now that answer was revised: 'yes… only for one…'

She had trembled on her whole body, simply for not being absolutely sure how he would react… That tiny niggling doubt, whispering filthily that he might gaze at her disturbed… or indifferent… she couldn't say what would have been worse…

Though now, as he had her pinned against the heavy door by her hands and, most importantly, by her lips, she couldn't overstate how worth it had been. That look in his magnificent eyes, first surprise… then, dare she admit it, delight… and finally, she shuddered with ravishment, lust…

His hands held her wrist firmly against the hard surface behind, making her feel even more exposed… she didn't mind.

His whole body was so tightly pressed against hers she had trouble breathing… she didn't care.

The slightly rough wood was prickly on her bare buttocks… even that passed into the background.

Her leg lifted as if it had a mind of its own, wrapping around him as high as it would go, her hunger for more contact with him insatiable… and she knew it could never be slaked as long as all that thrice damned fabric was between them.

She reared up just a tiny bit more, pushed even deeper into his fiery kiss, her shoulders complaining from the unusual angle they were forced to assume by his unrelenting grip, but they could yell all they wanted. Being so restrained had its own allure, powerless before his strength and his desire, but it only served to excite her so much that it all wasn't enough!

Slowly he released her, but reaffirmed when she tried to escape her position. She understood… she obeyed, despite all her synapses screaming for her to rip his clothes from his body.

His fingers crawled tantalizingly slowly across the skin of her arms, just the lightest brush, as she had to use all her mental restrained to keep her hands where they were, against the door. His tips reached her shoulders, sending a shiver through her that made her skin feel cold, even as her core heated to unknown levels.

His hands snuck further up, over her neck, his lips never leaving hers, their tongues wrestling for control. As she was commanded to keep her arms still, she moved her hips against him, feeling the bulge of his manhood strain the fabric of his trousers.

She was in agony… sweet, blissful agony as he kept her waiting, longing for more. His hands reached her cheeks, cupped them, the fingers of his left playing with her favourite, and currently only, piece of clothing.

His mouth left hers and she was ready to scream for it to return, to continue its assault, to eat her whole… when she felt his lips return to her other earlobe, suckling on it so strongly as if he wished to tear it off, sending spasms of delight through her. His hands went back down the way they came, past her shoulders this time, lightly brushing over her armpits, making her squirm as every sensation from him was just lumped together with pleasure. He left her ear, she felt his heavy breath brush over her face as he passed to the other side. His lips closed around her other earlobe, the one with his precious gift in it… She could feel his tongue play with it so very gently, pushing, fondling, pulling, tugging… His hands trailed lower along her sides, stopping just a thumb's width away from her breasts. Her body twitched, wishing to twist into his palm, but not knowing which way. She wanted to scream at him to stop torturing her with all those half measures, while at the same time begging him to go on forever.

His mouth pulled back, as did his body, just a bit. For the first time in minutes she opened her eyes and saw him just centimetres away, his face flushed and alive, a raised eyebrow trying to show nonchalance, but was betrayed by the glaze, the celestial fire in his eyes that showed her how dearly he fought to hold himself back. The dim light hit his face just right, accentuating his jaw and the tilt of his smile… good goddess, he was handsome! Her heart gave a little flutter…

With a startling suddenness his hands moved to her bottom and without the slightest hint of exertion lifted her up. Her legs reacted at once, wrapping around his hips as a surprised giggle escaped her. Now, finally, she disobeyed, moving her hands so they wrapped around his neck, just as she rammed her lips back against hers with even greater urgency.

His head was so light he feared he might float away, her soft, warm mouth battling his, nibbling, sucking, shifting positions in a way that betrayed her hunger. His hands on those heavenly, smooth globes of her rump, squeezing of their own accord, pulling her even tighter against him… her crotch grinding against his… If the entrapment in his trousers had been painful before, now it was agony! The long, straining teasing he had just delivered, just for her, had only served to remind him just how much, and how imperatively he wanted her. Then, looking into those two divine, pure, sparkling crystals the goddesses had given her as eyes, he had felt his restraint melt.

Unable to see, as his face was preoccupied with serving as a target for a thousand different assaults from Zelda's lips tongue and teeth, he slowly waddled through the small antechamber and towards the bed, bumping into the wall only once… Zelda didn't even seem to notice. She stopped her attack just long enough for him to check that he was indeed standing in front of the mattress before he unceremoniously dropped her onto it. Her squeal, as well as the cute bout of giggling just him to smile down at her like a fool… as well as another twitch in his loins. If he did not remove all that pesky, worthless fabric that kept their bodies from touching right now, he would go absolutely mad.

He ripped everything off so quickly it was in serious danger of tearing. Then he gazed down at her, squirming on the bed stark naked… except for that tiny blue glimmer on her ear… He awarded himself a few, precious seconds to marvel at her, frankly, sinfully beautiful body.

Her flush, angelic face that entranced him with such an enticing look of both want and shyness, framed with her straight, long hair of pure gold that already was just that tiny bit dishevelled from their play.

Her slim, yet supple shoulders and collar area that formed such a supremely elegant curve with her beautiful neck.

Her ivory coloured, pert breasts, just the perfect size for his hands to cup, his palms and fingers already itching to once again explore their sweet, girlish shape and softness.

Her slender belly, now dancing agitatedly with her excited breaths, ending in those slightly angular protrusions of her shapely hips.

The place between her legs, currently a bit hidden due to her juvenile squirming as she followed his gaze, crowned with just a light, crisp fuzz, only slightly darker than her other hair.

Her shapely legs, from her feminine rear, over their athletic build, to her elegant, adorably soft and flexible feet.

If this was not how a goddess looked, he knew not whether he could ever be a religious man.

He glance back at her face, a delightful shimmer of bright red on her cheeks and her cute nose, slightly turned away in shame at his blatant inspection, but still grinning bashfully, yet proudly at the boundlessly infatuated smile he sported… and, if he judged her quick glances correctly, another very honest show of appreciation his body did for her.

Speaking of which, it was that very body part that had had quite enough of waiting and demanded instant attention. Link felt his grin turn predatory… There was something he had meant to do for a while… and had always met with a bit of resistance from her…

A little more patience down there… first it's her turn…

The invigorating flutter her heart gave was both relieved and just that tiny bit scared when he had finished his scrutinizing of her body. More than ever, that naughty part in her wanted to show him all, but there still was enough of her left to feel his stare like the heat of a bonfire. Exciting, stimulating, gratifying… especially when she had finally thought to adore his body as well… and had noticed his very lively somatic reaction…

Now, he prowled closer, crawled forward on all fours, his eyes never leaving hers, and her heart thumped so hard in her chest she thought she might explode. She adored that look on his face, one of boundless hunger and lust, one that, she was proud to say, only ever happened when they were together, alone… but it also conjured a reaction very similar to fear… though not quite… a million times more delicious…

He pranced over her, taking great care that his fingers lightly touched her at all times. She felt his hot breath brush over her, first her knees, then her hips, her bosom… each time it caressed her already slightly sweaty skin, she felt a shiver dance up and down her spine, completely turning her perception of hot and cold upside down.

Finally, they were face to face, he above her, gazing down with that fiery intensity that made her tremble with desire.

She liked his dark blonde, constantly dishevelled looking hair that hung down slightly, framing his extremely cute face, which also had that barely noticeable sheen of excited sweat on it.

She adored the way his gaze pierced into her soul and opened up his own in return, showing her that he wanted this as desperately as she, and was just as nervous.

She loved how, with all that he did, there was always that slight question in his eyes, ever asking whether he may go on. It made her feel safer now, nude and two hundred metres above ground, than she had ever been.

She could resist no longer!

Her hands flew upwards, one against his strong abdomen, feeling his muscles bulge and relax for her, the other snaking around his neck to pull him down against her.

He followed her beckoning and lowered himself onto her until their nude flesh touched along its entire length, their loins against each other, but nothing more… yet!

He paused, centimetres from her face, his eyes darting from her mouth to her eyes and back. She bit her lip and made a strangled little sound in her throat, commanding, asking begging him to continue.

He did… their lips met once more, but gentler now, even though she could feel the liquid fire of lust pulse within him… against her… He found an enticing, but soft rhythm and she couldn't help but copy it, though always vibrating to go faster, stronger… It seemed he wasn't done playing with her just now… if only it wasn't so sweet…

Without her control, her hips moved, and she felt his hardness against her, her legs moving to trap him in that position. He groaned, deliciously, but twitched away much to her momentary disappointment.

Her gaze must have shown, as he grinned in a way that seemed to say 'patience, my dumpling…'

She had to admit, that precious resource had already been spent thrice over… If he continued with this torment, she might need to tie him to the bed and take care of it all herself!

His mouth lowered again, but once again snuck past her own to kiss along her cheek to right in front of her ear where he knew it tickled her just right.

His lips trailed lower, past her jaw, dreadfully slowly along her neck. He stopped, then suddenly bit into it, tenderly, just enough to elicit a little gasp from her.

Both of her hands remained on his head, coursing again and again through his hair, which they loved to do, ruffling, smoothing… directing, if need be…

On his quest downwards went… it had taken him there before a couple of times… before she had gotten cold feet…

His mouth kissed down the middle of her chest, every touch of his lips sending a pulse of heat through her whole body.

'Please, please do it already!' she begged in her thoughts.

His right hand trailed along her waist upwards, her brain overtaxed with following both its motions and his mouth's tiny little assaults. His fingers cupped her breast, forcing a miniscule sigh from her lips as they squeezed ever so gently.

With an almost brutal attack his mouth ravished her right nipple as his thumb played with her left, making her squirm embarrassingly strongly. Her chest rose off the bed off its own accord, as if to bring herself closer to the magnificent ministrations he was gracing her with. His tongue flicked over her sensitive flesh and his fingers did the same on the other side. He suckled on it sweetly, just as he pulled on its twin only barely strong enough.

She squirmed and her hips tossed around, her fingers opening and closing of their own accord, but…

But it wasn't enough! Still he was being so damned overly gentle! Just enough to get her hotter, more aroused, more desperate.

His mouth left her breast and she was ready to wail for him to go back… or finally fill her… or do anything!

For a tantalizing second she felt nothing… Then his hot breath ghosted over her belly, just below her navel… and she knew what he wanted.

She had… pleased him this way a few times and always had he offered to do the same… Once prior he had meant to surprise her like this… Goddess knew she wanted to experience it, know what new delights they could find together…

But something had always stopped her… for him to see her… there… so closely… for reasons she couldn't quite explain, it felt so embarrassing… which was utterly, utterly stupid!

Again, her hand stopped him by touching his cheek.

"Link, I…"

"Shhh…" he whispered, his breath already tousling her hair down low. Quick as a cat he crawled back up to steal a lightning kiss from her lips…

Every synapse, every fibre in her body demanded, begged screamed for him to continue… During all their play right now, he had assumed dominance and she had delighted in being his to command… why not now, too?

As their lips parted once again, there was such a naughty, promising grin on his maddeningly handsome face that it made her head spin.

"To quote you from earlier, sweetling… Resistance is futile…" he growled… but waited…

Her eyes darted all over his face, the eyes she loved more than anything in the world… his sweet, sweet face that, just with a slight shift in expression, had told her a thousand times that he found her beautiful… a face she trusted… eyes she loved…

She didn't even need to nod… he felt it before she ever could.

He went back down… She thought she might have simply burst into flames if he hadn't…

His heart thundered in his chest, his ears rang with the excitement of exploring new territory. Her girlish shame, charming as it was, had been conquered… now, lets hope I know at all what I'm doing!

Tiny echoes of thought in his mind, banished behind pure arousal and the constant reminder of her beauty.

He went to kneel below her… as if on a reflex, her legs clamped together, once again denying him the privilege… Though not this time…

He let his fingers brush lovingly from her bottom all the way to her knees, planted a soft kiss on both of them, each lasting more than a second. With a last glance at her terrified, excited, lusty eyes he, gently, grasped both her knees and ever so slowly pulled them apart. A nervous squirm, a cute little sigh… but she let him go on where his own cravings led him.

As expected, nothing short of a marvel greeted him. Zelda, his adorable princess, suddenly so bashful, seemed to try to both look somewhere else and gauge his reaction.

Thighs of pure, white marble, seeming to lead the way to her innermost, the place that seemed to cause her such inhibitions… but, a place that he claimed too, like all the beautiful rest.

Pink and puffy, dripping with the evidence of her arousal… and…

"Just as lovely, as perfect as all the rest of you, Zelda…" he muttered. His own pulse hammered so urgently in his throat that he could barely coax any words out of it. His hands had a new tremble as they left her knees and moved inward.

Zelda, seeing the wide eyed wonder in his gaze felt herself turn so red she was surprised the whole room wasn't glowing. But… when he had looked back at her, so much utter delight and amazement in those beloved doors to his soul… she had known it was alright…

Quaking like a dry autumn leaf in a sudden gale, she watched his head lower.

His hands brushed ever so lightly over the inside of her thighs, sending continuous shocks of lightning through her belly all the way to her head, which felt as if it were rocking and twisting like a raft on stormy seas.

Was she really about to do this?

His hot mouth left a searing kiss just a hand-span away from her centre… and with a sudden certainty that surprised her the decision was made.

Yes. She would.

He let his lips trail lower, ever closer towards her middle as his hand on the other leg mirrored his movement. He felt her shiver below him, delighted in the coolness and smoothness of her skin… and the incredibly arousing scent that reduced the last vestiges of sense to dust and launched him beautifully into the land of sweet, delectable madness.

She saw him hover over her midst, his face once again forming a slight, eager smile at the things he saw. The sensations of his touch on his thighs had reignited the fires of her lust and had made them spiral out of control. One last time he glanced up at her… with one last question.

There was no hesitation this time. She nodded, ere all that bothersome, useless sense could interfere once more. Her cheeks blushed even more fiercely, but she no longer could bring herself to care… all that mattered now was what followed next… and her complete ignorance of it all excited her so much she was briefly convinced she had just gone crazy.

He lowered his lips and placed a lingering kiss just above where her tuft of hair began. Then he moved on, lower by a millimetre as his thumbs softly caressed up and down on the insides of her thighs.

Her body shuddered and she sighed involuntarily, watching her own belly dance in uncontrollable spasms… but it wasn't enough! Again, he was teasing her mercilessly, stoking that fire that burned in her veins, that pulled her nerves so taught, spiked her pulse and breath she thought she would faint!

Her hairs tickled his nose as he delighted in the barely audible whimpers she awarded him with. His head spun with the indescribable excitement of it all, the knowledge of what he was about to do… and, most of all, her intoxicating scent, pure and enthralling.

Her hips bucked as her maximally tensed muscles screamed for release and, before she could stop it, a tiny, short whine passed her lips that sounded dangerously like "Please!"

Link stopped, for only a second. He, too, had reached the limit of his restraint and sheer lust took over. His beloved's face was contorted, in need, helpless… her crystal clear eyes bespoke her want. His heart giving a little flutter, he obliged.

She felt one of his breaths ghost over her most sensitive part, a place nearly no-one but her had ever even seen. Her mind went blank when she felt his kiss on her folds and another, weak whimper found its way to Link's ears.

He felt her hands once again comb through his hair. He halted for only a moment, unsure whether she wanted to pull him away… but no… the little squeak she gave when he, ever so gently, ran his lower lip from the lowest point all the way up was more than enough confirmation. For a few seconds, he simply planted kiss after kiss at the glistening streak between her puffy lips, enjoying the little spasms he would get in return. Then, seeing as he was doing something right, he decided to do something a bit bolder…

Every time his lips met her, she felt her legs go weaker, felt a gasp escape her, felt the urge to lift her hips to meet him. Through eyes that seemed to go in and out of a fog of arousal, she watched him, unable to think even the simplest coherent thought, just realizing that his face between her legs sent her pulse to new, untold heights, so incredibly erotic it was. Suddenly, forcing yet another squeak from her, she felt his tongue go all the way up inside her, first on the left, then on the right. Her belly spasmed almost painfully when he did it again… and again… and… again…

He drew back a few centimetres, licking his lips absentmindedly. The pressure of Zelda's hands on his head increased, if only slightly… the message was clear.

He had resumed his kissing, though now, to her amazement, he lingered a little more every time, taking her inner lips between his lips and, with just a hint of suction, pulled back again. He did this wonderful thing again, a little higher, a little higher still… She shuddered as he came so close to the point that wanted his soft ministrations most, the little nub she had discovered drove her wild… her hips bucked as she but thought of his lips there, bringing it closer to him before she could stop it. With an inferno of lightning shooting through her body, his lips closed around it and with incredible softness, he pulled away again, tugging it with him just a little.

She gasped, she quaked and moaned… then swallowed as her heart seemed ready to jump out of her throat. He gazed at her, looking a tad startled… but he seemed to understand without any words… she would have been thoroughly unable to provide them anyway.

His mouth enveloped the little swollen bud once more, applying just a fraction more vacuum before pulling away once again. It plopped from his lips with a wet sound, accompanied by his beloved's moans.

Her mind was empty but for the ecstasy of pleasure his mouth brought her. Her fists were balling and relaxing in his hair and she only barely resisted the overpowering urge to simply pull him against her down there. His did it once more, pulling ever so slowly, but now he changed it up again. Instead of moving so far that her over-sensitive flesh was released he now pressed the flat of his tongue against it with increasing force. The white hot tempest within her tightened even more and she could no longer resist. Her hips bucked into him, her belly tightened until her upper body came closer and her hands had enough leverage to hold him tightly in place against her soft midst. He growled against her in surprise, but didn't stop for an instant… the vibrations of his voice only sent yet another sparkling shiver through every single nerve. She forced her eyes open, the heavenly sight of him pleasuring her with his mouth yet another incredible source of lust. With his lips buried within her at her whim, he changed constantly between suction and release at a steady rhythm, as his tongue either pressed against that bundle of nerves or circled around it.

Her hips moved constantly, uncontrollably now, ever seeking to intensify his contact with her as her back arched, unintentionally pulling him even stronger against her. Her gasps and pants became ever quicker, the knot of extreme pleasure tightening to impossible levels.

At one point, Link opened his eyes… the simple sight of his deep blue orbs watching her squirm very nearly sent her over the edge.

His lips and tongue increased their speed, possibly seeing her ever escalating reaction to his efforts. Her heart raced, her breath caught, every single sensation from his hands and mouth intensified by a hundred and with one last flick of his tongue the white hot fireball inside her exploded as her whole body seized in pleasure. She gasped loudly, her voice husky and shuddering as wave after wave of tempestuous orgasm crashed over her, causing multiple spasms to wrack her body every-which way.

Link slowed his ministrations but didn't stop, drawing out more and more of her magnificent climax out of her, absolutely delighted by just the sight of her feeling such pleasure, holding her hips firmly against him when she no longer could.

As the ecstasy that had launched her to orbit faded, she put a trembling hand on his forehead and only then, did he stop… after one last incredibly soft kiss on the spot that had helped him enable this beautiful moment for her. He liked that spot… he was glad he found it!

Her breath was deep and shuddering as her eyes still fluttered, every muscle in her body maximally relaxed, her mind still filled with nothing but white.

Gently, he moved back up and lay down next to her so that he could tenderly kiss her cheek and jawbone, over and over again as she returned to reality… after he had wiped his mouth.

Slowly but surely, his soft nibbles, meant to pull her back into life, showed a reaction. She giggled and squirmed adorably as his deliberately minimal contact tickled her still sensitive skin. Her head rolled over so their foreheads bumped gently together and he revelled in the sound and feeling of her still deepened and quickened breaths caressing his chin and chest… he could hardly imagine a more beautiful sensation.

Eyes still closed, she laughed for no apparent reason, slowly shaking her head as if in disbelief.

"Forgot how to talk?" he teased, not quite able to hide his radiating pride at his accomplishment and seeing no reason to.

His beloved nodded, grinning brightly and finally opening her gorgeous eyes. At seeing him, there was once again a delightful blush summoned on her stunning nose, so gloriously pulsating with life in its hot, glistening, perfect state. Though this was no longer caused only by bashfulness… this was now something else too… something far greater, far deeper… He felt his own face mirror hers, felt the heat rush onto his cheeks and his gloating grin evolve into a longing, almost wistful smile.

Zelda, still feeling like she might be glowing in all the colours of the rainbow, could no longer resist the temptation. Craning her neck only slightly her lips finally touched his, just the barest whisper of contact at first, moving away again to peck the side of his nose, then returning after caressing down his cheek. His lips seemed to burn on hers, every synapse still poised to the max after the incredible heights she had just flown through… she couldn't get enough! What started so very gentle quickly regained its earlier ferocity, its fire, its hunger… This, she had to admit, was the one weakness of the delicious madness he had just performed on her… There was no way to kiss him during it… there weren't many other faults, though…

As if it had a mind of its own, her hand once again reached up to ruffle through his hair, brushing it with her fingers, pulling at it, grabbing it by the fistful… an outlet for the boundless energy coursing non-stop between them.

Her skin once again did its electrifying dance of hot and cold when she felt his hand on her chest, ever so slowly caressing downwards. Lost in the dream of his lips and his touch, she realized she made those stupid little squeaking noises again… she couldn't help making them and always felt a little embarrassed… but Link seemed to enjoy them, weirdly…

His slightly rough, searching fingers had already made it past her bellybutton… she felt herself tremble at the anticipation, the hope that it might quest even further….

His fingernails lightly brushed through her curls and she forgot how to breathe.

A mighty heave went through her whole body when finally his hand cupped middle and she had to hold on for dear life not to lose her connection to his lips. She felt his finger tenderly slide up and down her still hyper-sensitive folds, sending burning shivers all the way up her skin. Her mouth briefly left his, forced to give air to uncontrollable gasps as his digit entered her and did slow, terribly insufficient turns inside.

"Ow! Err, could you… retract your claws, kitten?" she heard him ask from somewhere far off, through the haze of free-floating pleasure. It took a second for his words to reach her through it…

"Oh! Sorry… sorry…" she muttered, only now noticing that both her hands had acted on their own, one clawing at his shoulder, the other at his head through his cute mop. This wasn't the first time she had accidentally done that…

Thankfully, he only grinned, apparently amused by her subconscious show of ecstasy. Then his face got a tiny bit shy again, his eyes adorably innocent and caring... and enticingly playful "So… would you like… another round?" he asked, mumbling silently.

Simply hearing this question from him while he gazed at her like that sent a brief, sweet high all the way to her curling toes. A tiny bit of sheepishness made itself shown on her glowing cheeks…

'Goddess above, yes!' was what her unchecked emotions wanted to roar into the night… But, and her gaze ever so quickly twitched down his fascinating body to something that, as of yet, had been forced to patiently, painfully wait… But, as exciting as it had been, and as eagerly she wanted him to do it again, there was still something she loved more…

"I'd… rather… you know…" she whispered, foolishly hoping she wouldn't have to say it out loud… colossally foolish, she thought, after all that we've already done, being unable to simply name it…

Nevertheless, his gorgeous eyes, widening, firing up in barely contained desire, told her that he understood perfectly… and that he had quietly hoped that she might say that.

Almost scrambling like a little boy to get into position, she had to stifle a laugh… it probably would have come out as a husky groan anyway, with her throat so tight from mind-numbing lust and anticipation at seeing him kneeling between her legs, his entire beautiful, strong body trembling in sweet thrill.

He guided himself towards her innermost and her breath caught, her heart fibrillating with a vigour that only he had ever conjured.

A delicious convulsion raced through every muscle when she felt him part her, felt his flesh caress hers in a way that only lovers could experience.

He gasped, leaning forward and nearly collapsing on top of her, his strong arms to either side of her ears and his forehead pressing gently against hers. Tremble after delightful tremble coursed through his body, which she now felt as if they were her own, his eyes shut tightly in intense concentration. Never was her beloved Link more cute… and more erotic than in these moments when, she understood, he purposefully held himself back so their magnificent union would last longer. She could feel how hard he had to fight his own rapidly approaching climax… a tiny pang of guilt actually made itself felt for having neglected his needs for so long that he had to desperately cling on to the sheets to last a little more.

She beamed at him, despite the fact that he couldn't see… then gasped in unison with him as, finally, he reached her deepest parts within and their hips touched, as they were always meant to.

He exhaled hotly against her and his shudder, barely clinging to his own sanity, seemed to heighten her own, considerable arousal even more.

She took his face between her hands and pulled him into a brief but blazingly hot kiss, unable to keep her own pelvis from making little grinding motions against him, causing a whole new wave of trembles to wrack their bodies in unison.

She didn't want him to hold back… his selflessness before had already been quite enough, it was certainly not too much to ask of her to return the favour… and, currently, feeling as soul-shakingly excited as she was, it was not at all certain she wouldn't join him in his ecstasy…

When she broke their kiss, which took a lot of internal negotiation, she took a few breaths to re-discover her own voice. "Don't… don't hold back!" she whispered, barely able to utter the words, so hoarse was her speech. Uncertain whether he could even understand, so lost in his own private combat, she emphasized her meaning by moving on her own as best as she could, pinned under his quivering body.

His moan, delightful to her ears, her own arousal heating to a white-hot radiance at hearing it.

At last, he began to move, not with his usual gentleness, but hungrier, more desperate, almost animalistic… a sight that always brought her closer to the edge, when she could coax it out of him.

For a few heavy strokes they were both lost in bliss, caressing, tugging, pressing against each other, all thought swept away by an ever increasing tide of pleasure, not even conscious enough any more to unite their lips, but utterly afloat in the feeling of the other's body.

His moans came quickly, she felt them ghost intensely over the skin of her neck. She clung to him as if for dear life, both with hands and legs, every sinew taut in unspeakable arousal, every tiny movement of his skin against hers causing a thunderstorm inside, until her waking mind seemed simply burned away in its intensity.

She felt a mighty spasm run through him, then felt his hotness inside her pulsate as he did a few last strokes, then held as deep as possible, quivering and groaning delightfully. She sensed the waves of his orgasm punch through him, enraptured by the force of his bliss as if it were her own, revelling in the feeling of having brought her beloved to his absolute peak… and enjoying the incredible fullness and unity he gave her back.

After what seemed like minutes of white, thoughtless perfection, he started breathing again, gasping and urgent. He was shivering like leaf in a gale, now lying fully on her, all strength spent for the moment. His head hung past her shoulder, so all she could do was kiss gently along his ear while waiting patiently for him to return. She liked this maximal closeness, even when their act was already over… the feeling of his nude skin on hers, all the way from top to bottom, was heavenly… Thankfully, he wasn't heavy…

At last, he stirred, so limply at first, so bereft of all his power, that she had to giggle. Apparently, she had sucked him dry!... even though she hadn't, a particularly naughty part of her thoughts supplied.

A tiny bit of disappointment she couldn't help but feel… it had been incredibly sweet and delicious… she had hoped it might just go on forever… But, then again, she didn't really care… The time would come for more summits to climb… together. She just had to be patient… which was something that, in this case, was getting increasingly hard, she had to admit.

Very slowly removed her hands from his hair and caressed down his shoulders to his waist, still showering him with kiss after kiss wherever she could reach. She could feel him slip out of her, the magnificent feeling of being filled gone, leaving just a strangely longing echo. If only…

He moved, tension returning to his body, strength to his muscles. He lifted his head, his hair hanging sweatily down over his face, yet another sight that was strangely erotic. She couldn't wait to look at him again, gaze at his handsome smile, those beautiful eyes… They would be tired but happy, she supposed, ready to fall over and…

His eyes opened, the intense deep blue fixating on her immediately. A tiny shiver ran all the way over her skin, both hot and cold…

Never before had they been so alive, so positively glowing with energy… so eager for more. An impish smile graced his features, so utterly attractive that her heart nearly went into arrest. Without a single word uttered, it clearly said only one thing: "Give me five minutes…"

Her body squirmed, experiencing a fiery reawakening from the languor it had almost succumbed to, having thought that tonight was over. A wide smile of excitement shined on her face, fuelled by immediately rekindled lust and the delicious uncertainty of what would follow… what other lunacy they could come up with.

The night, it seemed, had only just begun!


	55. Episodes from Rito Village: Part 1

**This is just a preview to what the finished chapter will be! I decided to post this so you will at least have something, even though it's just a little shred.**  
 **The reason there isn't more yet is that I've had to take a break from writing for the last weeks. Work has been harsh due to pregnancies, vacations and sick-leaves in the team and my girlfriend deserves attention as well. Plus, whenever I tried to sit down to write, either nothing came out or I was unhappy with its mediocrity.**

 **So, in short, I decided to give my creativity a little rest, since it has now been working near constantly for more than a year.**

 **I won't stop alltogether, so don't worry. I have no plans to abbandon this project, it WILL get finished. Maybe I'll upload these shorter "Episodes" whenever I'm finished with 'em, or once I'm done with all of them, I don't know yet... Feel free to tell me what you'd prefer!**

 **So, I ask for your patience as my muse is having her well deserved vacation...**

* * *

Episodes from Rito Village: The Relativity of Soreness

Zelda

She surfaced slowly from the thick treacle of slumber, just enough for her head to allow the simplest thoughts.

I'm warm… good.

I'm comfy… good!

I'm draped halfway on the most wonderful pillow imaginable… perfect!

A tiny, sleepy smile stole on her face as she enjoyed the gentle up and down of his slow, deep breathing, her head nestled somewhere between his shoulder and chest. Her arm was slung around his waist and her leg felt so intricately intertwined with his that she wouldn't be surprised to see them having formed a knot.

…not the only knot they had managed within the last few hours, she thought, and her treacherous lips twisted into a decidedly mischievous grin.

Judging by the light that crept through her still firmly closed eyes, daytime must have arrived some hours prior… but it was no wonder they were still quite deeply stuck into the delightful mire of sleep.

She couldn't count… how often…

Already she could predict that every single muscle she had would be sore… but, without a doubt, in the best possible way. It made her feel bubbly and alive, even as she had that delicious tiredness of the righteous… Her body heavy and sated and relaxed in the same way her mind was floating, radiant, lighter than air…

It was, possibly, the most magnificent feeling in the whole wide world… and, she reflected, during last night alone, there had been quite a few contenders for that praiseworthy title.

Hmm… she hadn't noticed it till now, but there was a completely unique array of impressions around, always just at the edge of conscious thought… Maybe that was why, teetering on the edge of oblivion as she still was, she only noted them now…

An incredibly low creak, hardly more than the faintest, slow vibration tickled her ear, undoubtedly caused by the enormous lengths of wood bending in the wind…

A background hubbub of melodious voices, interspersed with the flapping of large wings, sometimes fast, other times slow…

A near unbroken soft breeze, never certain, always changing direction or strength, swirling in such a playful manner it reminded her of a child's gleeful first strokes of a paintbrush…

Lastly a barely noticeable, incredibly gentle swaying, so slight that one couldn't even ascertain its direction, only just strong enough to be perceived at all… almost as if the mighty branches of the Tree were rocking all of its children in the powerful, unfailing arms of a father… It almost dizzied her, now that she had become savvy of it, so instead she once again focussed on the more grounding rocking she received from her beloved's steady breath.

His hand twitched on her waist… she hadn't even noticed it being there before, so lost in comfort she was. His palm was on her midriff, his fingers already dangerously on her hip or even that tiny bit past.

…It could stay there, that's where it belonged in her mind.

She could tell by his breathing that he too was nearing consciousness… Part of her hoped they could both just drift back under, entangled as they were, sharing this marvellously restful sleep a little longer… bask in each other's warmth, enjoy the feel of skin on skin… Then again, she also couldn't wait to watch him awake, catch that adorable, still slightly sheepish smile he always awarded her when she was the first thing he saw…

For the first time since waking up she moved, craning her head weirdly so she could maintain her lovely position as much as possible and still gaze at his face.

Goodness, she liked looking at him when he slept… which, she reflected, was maybe a tad strange. 'Well, what about you do you consider normal, pray tell?' her always pleasant inner voice questioned. Not much she could reply to that, mostly because she refused to have a rather personal discussion with someone so nasty or someone so, well, herself… It sounded like the epitome of lunacy…

Then again, why shouldn't she like to watch him slumber?! At what other time could she hope to catch a glimpse of his infuriatingly handsome face in such a smooth, peaceful state? Always he had to worry, always there had to be lines of thought, planning and tactics on his features… And even though she adored the intensity in his eyes and the stern curve of his preoccupied brow, she always hoped he would be able to show her genuine serenity and freedom marking his expression.

Grudgingly she had come to accept that he gladly troubled himself on her behalf, enjoying it even to some extent… But still!

…It wasn't as if she was any different… He'd probably rather see her carefree self more too, she reflected… Not something she was, genuinely, often… carefree…

…Did he watch her when she slept, too? Usually, when they were underway, he was the first to awake… Had he, at some points, just lain there gazing at her slumbering form like she was doing now? She couldn't quite picture him doing something so… foolish? Then again… Bah, she couldn't say. Boys were hard to understand.

He made a face, his nose scrunched up and his mouth twisted to the side. Something obviously tickled him around his upper lip, causing him to demonstrate the most delightfully silly expressions as his helplessly asleep mind tried desperately to deal with the intruding itch.

Feeling a bit mischievous she very carefully brought her finger towards his face and gently scratched what she assumed was the offending spot. The sigh that resulted was the most heartfelt purr of relief she had ever heard. A fit of giggles rocked through her chest, forcing her to bite on her lips to keep herself from making any sound.

She failed.

A particularly undignified snort escaped her, finally pulling her previously so terribly vexed beloved from the last vestiges of slumber with a slightly alarmed "Phweh?"

His eyes found her, the quaking bundle of idiotic giggles draped across him, and the second of utter befuddlement portrayed on his features finally sent her flying mercilessly into spasms of squeaking laughter.

Previously she had pined for the amorous look she hoped he would throw her… Now she had to admit that his hopelessly-lost-in-confusion-expression was possibly an even greater treat.

"What? What are you…? What's so funny?!" he wanted to know in increasing volume, torn between indignation and the spreading infection of her giggles. She tried to hold back, stop the convulsions of merriment for a moment… She might as well try to stop an avalanche! It burst forth in even greater strength, a tiny spray of royal spit exploding from her lips, causing her ever increasingly bemused knight to duck away… Normally a faux pas that would have chilled her well-bred bones at the mere thought… now, completely and wonderfully free of caring for once, she only laughed louder.

Link, to her adoration, simply wiped his face with a slow, exaggerated gesture of her risible ejaculation and then indulgently wiped off his hand on her shoulder. "What. On. Earth are you-" he chuckled, but got no further. Her face smashed into his, kissing him with all the radiant intensity of a free spirit, still giggling as her lips softly nuzzled his. She vowed she would never tell him what caused her strange outburst, simply to tease him! Truth be told, she couldn't even remember any more and cared even less!

* * *

After untold minutes, hours maybe, of cuddling, caressing and kissing, always asking each other wordlessly for just a few more moments, Link finally crawled out of bed with a longing look back.

Subconsciously she wrapped herself in the thin blanket before realizing how foolish that was… By now he had probably seen every centimetre of her anyway, so why the bashful hiding? Besides, it wasn't like she didn't, right at this moment, stare shamelessly at his cute, firm rear as he went to pick up something to cover up… unfortunately… As she watched him, she noticed his slightly shy glances back at her and the rising red on his cheeks as he delivered this very welcome show of his nudity for her… She had to smile. For all his strength, he was just as insecure as she was in some matters… What fools they both were!

Thankfully, she had been wise enough to close all the shutters yesterday night, so they were both well shielded from prying eyes…

Link, his modesty restored from her prying eyes, the most delicate parts at least, slinked to one of the windows and pushed open the shutters, causing a veritable influx of fresh air that pleasantly chilled Zelda's skin. She watched him for another minute, standing straight against the bright sky, his strong back and arms moving slowly, elegantly as he fixed the sun-blinds in place and rested on the sill, his hair waving gently in the breeze… beautiful like a young god…

Unable to resist, she wrapped the blanket tighter around herself and stood up, her muscles protesting as she had expected they would. Soft footed to the point of soundlessness she snuck up behind him, then wrapped the piece of cloth that was currently the only thing that prevented everything about her going public around him too, snaking her arms around his chest so she could press herself against his back, skin to skin. Judging from the tiny jump he made, she had actually managed to remain undetected… not a small feat even if he was completely lost in thought, and one that brought a victorious grin to her lips.

They stood for a while, she gently caressing his chest and softly kissing his back and shoulder, he locked tightly in her arms, leaning slightly back, slowly relaxing under her ministrations. He felt hot against her, as did she. She wouldn't be surprised to see a cloud of steam wafting from them into the cool, lofty air... A testament to all the passionate lovemaking they had done…

"How are you feeling, sweetling?" he asked, turning his head away from the gorgeous landscape to gaze back at her.

His deep blue eye watched her sidelong and he smiled that magnificent marvel of a grin, allowing only for one answer. "Wonderful…" she whispered half into his shoulder, deeply enjoying the little wave of goosebumps he got upon feeling her breath. "And everything hurts! How dare you treat a princess this horrible way?!" she joked as she playfully bit his skin and giggled.

"You're right, I don't know what came over me… some she-devil must have taken my soul and ridden me to insanity, clearly!" he replied with an almost criminally impish grin gracing his face. That poorly veiled double entendre deserved another little bite, she decided… a tad fiercer. The way he squirmed to escape her provided a certain sweet satisfaction… enough to place a healing kiss on the spot she just devoured.

"I'm a little sore too, I have to admit…" he confessed in an almost apologetic voice, shooting her an unsure glance… As if she might think any less of him if he admitted that he, too, was vulnerable… Dummy!

Careful not to drop the blanket she grabbed him in a way that signalled for him to turn around to face her. They were standing belly to belly now, her arms still around him, one massaging the muscles of his shoulder, one idly playing with the seam of his undergarment… Even after all the energy they spent between each other, the sheer amount of electricity that seemed to be generated by their skin touching was breathtaking!

"Poor dear… so terribly pained!" she purred as the full gaze of his deep blue, smiling eyes nearly made her giddy. "Tell me where the bad she-devil hurt you!"

The roguish, positively scandalous grin that spread on his handsome face caused a shiver to crackle through her nerves. "There are quite a few spots… some of which I can't possibly show an innocent, well-bred girl such as yourself! I daren't even describe them for fear of causing your unblemished soul distress!" he smarmed shamelessly.

Zelda's eyes left his for a moment, searching for the next spot to bite. Sadly, he was quicker… His head darted forward, his lips firmly pressing against hers, immediately starting their wild, sensual play, dispelling any and all play-acted ire on the spot. In an instant she was lost in the magnificent sensation of their bodies wriggling and writhing in unison… She knew that reaction of her flesh… She knew his too, by now… She knew where it would lead them…

Oh dear… But then again… they weren't that sore, were they?


	56. Episodes from Rito Village: Part 2

Episodes from Rito Village: Part 2

Zelda

When, at long last, they had managed to wrest themselves away from the bed, and each other, they were undecided what they wanted to do. For many weeks they had always had a clear goal, or at the least a heading, in front of them… Now, with a whole week of leisure to look forward to, the possibilities seemed endless! And confusing…

After nearly 10 minutes of back and forth discussion, and a narrowly avoided outbreak of an argument, Link had had the quite clever idea to separate for the day. She could see that, instinctively, it rubbed him quite wrong to let her out of his sight, but the idea behind it was sound. They would both go exploring on their own, at least for a few hours, see where in the comparatively small city they would chance upon one another, and then, on the following day, they could show each other their most intriguing finds.

Zelda really liked the idea! In a weirdly, childishly rebellious sort of way she enjoyed the chance to, for a short while, be rid of her ever vigilant protector… going out to explore completely on her own sounded like the ultimate adventure! 'Din's fire, how coddled I sound even to myself!'

Nevertheless, they set off in different directions after he had cheekily stolen a last quick kiss from her. Elated by the unfamiliar sense of freedom she positively bounced away… at least until the first hanging bridge offended with its incessant swinging nastiness. Still, not even the fear of almost certain death could put so much as a dent in her high spirits!

She knew her kiss stealing, good-for-nothing, princess-manhandling sausage knight would uncover something truly magnificent in his roaming, be it a view, food, a person… He truly had a knack for that sort of thing. Still, faced with these odds, she too had to descry some hidden marvel she could enthral him with! Naturally, she wasn't competitive at all… and she never lied to herself or the universe in general… It was simply good sportsmanship birthed from her noble upbringing… and it wouldn't really be fair otherwise, now would it?

As she meandered her way along the narrow walkways with their occasional distressing lack of anything resembling a banister, winding between under and above the joyously colourful globes the Rito called their homes, Zelda felt more and more alive. With each step she took her smile grew wider, with each touch of the perfectly polished wood or the smooth, warm clay that covered the spheres the sensation of almost floating grew stronger! Today, bathing in the still strong autumn sun as the wind caressed her skin and played with her hair, she could finally feel truly free, unbound by any rules, etiquette or perilous tasks. Giggling like a small child, she couldn't help but twirl during her walk a number of times when a particularly lively gust whisked past her, throwing her arms and open hair our as far as they would go. One ancient Rito of unidentifiable sex stared at her admittedly slightly unhinged display with such jaw-dropping bafflement, the piece of clothing he was in the middle of washing dropped from his fingers, that all she could do was laugh harder. Waving at him or her like a child would, or in her case, a lunatic, she showed him her most radiant grin and simply twirled on.

Had she gone mad? Well… if this is what madness felt like, it would take a lot of convincing to get her to return to sanity! She couldn't rightly say why today, of all days, she felt so happy she could practically feel it bubbling out of her ears. Was it the afterglow of what had been, without any doubt, the most magical night of her life? Was it that the realization of their shared accomplishment had finally settled into her stubborn, over-thinking brain. Was it simply having a few days to relax after having braved so much adversity and danger? Or, maybe, it was quite simply being at a place that was in all aspects so very far away from the oppressed life she had led till now?

She did not really wish to think on it, fearing it might dispel it all…

Zelda nearly danced down a few steps, then paused as her eyes began to sparkle. During her aimless wandering she had chanced upon one of the many landing platforms that were sprinkled across town… it seemed it was considered bad behaviour to just plop down a landing on one of the pathways… but this one was special! For one thing it was clinging to the lowest part of the enormous branch and it was partly overhung by one of the spherical nests, giving the whole construction an enticingly precarious look. Secondly, for some reason, it appeared to have the perfect angle overlooking the main part of the four-tiered city, the main branch with the market square and the highest density of houses. You could see the hustle and bustle of the stalls, the ever changing armada of Rito ascending, circling and landing, as well as the marvellous spectacle of the vibrantly painted nest-walls, invoking in her the image of a treasure chest full of sparkling gemstones.

Now, if this wasn't a spot she could show her sweet knight! Already a plan formed in her head to zigzag from stall to stall, setting up the perfect picnic, then lead him to this secluded place… and just eat and talk through the whole evening and night…

Farore's love, that sounded wonderful! She had already scampered away with an ear-to-ear grin, eager to set her plan in motion when she skidded to a halt, trying to commit every detail of this place and the path to it to memory, so she would find it again in the labyrinthian network of gangways, stairs and bridges.

Now, with a clear goal in mind, Zelda quickly made her way towards the market. Her head was pleasantly abuzz with activity and possibilities, and she felt she had idled enough. She knew there was a high probability to run into her stalwart companion at the almost funfair-like place of commerce… drawn by his adorable, excitement-sniffing nose… or his ever grumbling stomach… Briefly she toyed with the idea of sneakily avoiding him, just to be silly. He probably would get the creeping feeling of her proximity… and stealthing around him, always just out of view would probably drive him wild! Good thing none of her bothersome maids could see the devious smirk on her face right now! They'd probably get their seven or eight virtuous petticoats in a twist if they caught but a glimpse! Goddess, it sounded like fun!

Before she knew it, Zelda had crossed two of the despised hanging bridges without even thinking about it. Surprised at her own thoughtlessness she glanced back at the frightfully long one that spanned the gap between the branches. Almost as if it were miffed at her lack of respect, it lurched and waved in a gust of wind. Her royal highness, mature as befitting her standing, deigned to present her outstretched tongue and uttered a resounding "Nyaaaaaa!" at the vile offender. Then she turned and giggled at her own foolishness.

'Nayru's infinite wisdom, my head is light!' she revelled in her thoughts. 'It's like a divine wind has blasted into the disorderly cubbyhole I call brain and swept out the cobwebs!' It was simply fantastic!

She entered the wooden square and the smirk on her face turned to a bright smile. Still so much to explore! So much to experience! So much-

"I have to say: Your grin is extremely catching, princess!" a soft woman's voice interrupted her reverie.

Saki, her stunning pink plumage waving softly in the breeze, stood proudly at her side, showing her a kind smile of her own. Zelda felt a little flush of embarrassment creep on her cheeks at being caught so defencelessly happy… a notion for which she would have liked to slap herself a second later.

"You approve of our way of life then?" the Rito-lady asked, half in jest.

The younger girl nodded eagerly, her confidence of earlier returning. "It is wonderful… truly wonderful!" she sighed, then added with a hand raised appealingly: "And, please… just Zelda."

"Right! Normally I too despise formalities, but… you do have a regal air about you…"

Zelda didn't know what to reply… She rather doubted that, standing there, grinning like a loon, there was anything remotely dignified about her… Saki, on the other hand, seemed like she only had to casually wave her resplendent wing and the whole town would be at her beck and call. With a weird sort of admiring interest, she realized she could probably learn quite a lot from the woman…

"I had almost forgotten how much of a joy it can be, watching these simple, proud, spectacular cocks and hens stride and flutter around, constantly arguing, haggling and helping each other at every turn…" The beautiful Rito intoned with a thoughtful smile as she observed her tumultuous swarm of people. "Over the last months the creeping shadow seemed to have invaded not only our sanctuary, but also all our hearts… dulling every smile, souring all affection, besmirching our tight bond…" Her gaze re-fixed on Zelda and her expression got even softer. "You two seem to have rekindled that precious fire in us. I feel I'm only beginning to understand just how big of a service you have actually provided…"

Once again, the younger girl didn't know how to respond. What could possibly be said to properly dignify such a momentous assertion?

"Bah! Look at me, going all emotional! Good thing my dear husband isn't hear to see me like this, he'd laugh his feathers off!" She giggled a very melodic little symphony. "Sorry, if I embarrassed you with all this soppiness. I actually meant to find you for another reason. Now that you two have finally emerged from your love-nest… " Zelda felt her face practically radiate a bright crimson "…I wanted to invite you to a little private woman talk. Let the boys meet to do all the important decisions… as long as the girls have done the actual thinking beforehand!"

Bright red face or no, Zelda had to grin crookedly. A private meeting with Saki was strangely intimidating, but… she had to admit, she liked her style. This would be about as much of a simple pleasurable hen party as when her father met with the ruler of an adjacent country. Still, her odd sixth sense told her of no deception… and her genuine curiosity far outweighed any caution at the moment.

Only…

"I… erm…" By the goddess, why is this still so embarrassing? "I actually meant to… well… meet my… meet Link later…" Din's hellfire, you ditz! 'Regal air about me' my royal rear! Magniloquent like an ox in a wig! AND STOP BLUSHING!

Saki had a good-natured laugh at her expense and she couldn't blame her. Still, there was a lovely, coquettish gleam in the older woman's eye… Almost as if she felt her own memories stir quite vividly at seeing the younger girl's awkwardness.

"My, oh my, if only one could be this young again!" she trilled. "It really is the most magnificent of times! Right this moment, I envy you… Especially for all the clumsy beginnings…"

Zelda could do nothing to banish the little pout that settled on her face. She knew how direct and stinging the Rito humour could be… and the woman was probably holding back quite a bit. Only princess-like restraint made her bite back a comment that Link and her possibly weren't quite as 'clumsy' any more as she thought. That and common sense… Still, she was not going to be so easily rendered speechless!

"Well, I assume there are some merits to be found in the experience that comes with advanced age?" she shot back, presenting her best faux innocent face.

Saki laughed in a radiant little melody and spread her wings in joy. "Finally someone to have a decent conversation with! Come, I'll strike you a deal, your royal highness! Let's have your little shopping spree together and afterwards you'll divide a tiny speck of your attention away from your beau and lend it to me. I'll give you a few hints what to buy that might tickle his fancy. Agreed?"

Zelda grinned a slightly naughty little grin. It felt strangely good to be talking to another woman on the same level… and not that little Bokoblin that, if rumours were to be believed, was somehow related to her.

…Goddess, she missed Sally… She hoped the Rito woman wouldn't take too much of her time… Curiosity about this fascinating hen aside, she had to admit that, still, what she mostly wanted was to spend yet another wonderful, uninterrupted, worriless evening with Link.

Either Saki could read her mind, or her longing was just so shamefully plain on her face, but she didn't even have time to voice her concern. The older woman simply took her by the hand and gently led her towards the closest market stall.

"Don't worry, fledgeling! That spot you picked is best in the evening!" she cooed with a kind, conspiratorial glance down at her guest.

Zelda, dumbfounded, felt her mouth fall open with a very 'regal' "Buh!" Then her eyes turned to suspicious slits. "How do you…"

"I have my methods! All women do!" she replied with a grin.

The younger girl cocked an eyebrow and focussed on her host with a decidedly unimpressed look. "What, flying and looking down?"

Saki, unfazed, gave a moderately patronizing nod. "That is one of my methods, your royal highness!"

For a second, her royal highness wondered whether she should grow angry. Then, somewhat to her own surprise, she decided that she rather enjoyed being benevolently toyed with like this by this older gal. It was a bit like having an older sister…

"What is it you wish to discuss so eagerly anyway? That you would risk driving a wedge between the future queen and, as you put it, her gallant?" she snarked, not quite able to keep all traces of being slightly miffed out of her voice, being hijacked like this. 'Gallant', a treacherous part of her mind mused all the while… She very much enjoyed Link being considered her gallant, if she was being honest.

"Some idle chit-chat, some poorly veiled threats, some pointlessly insulting remarks, a lot of petty, mindless scheming…" the Rito accounted nonchalantly.

"Ahh…" Zelda exclaimed quietly with a knowing nod. "The high art of politics!"

"Quite! That too… But mostly, I mean to show you something that could be of great importance to you…" the older woman hummed with infuriating secretiveness.

"What?!"

Saki's head turned to face her. Smirking and with her eyes sparkling with anticipation she leaned down until her beak nearly touched Zelda's ear. Hushedly, she sang but one word, which sent streams of goosebumps all over the young girl's body.

"Magic…"


	57. Episodes from Rito Village: Part 3

**Hey all!** ** **I apologize for the long delay but** a LOT of life happened during the last months... forgive me for not going into details, but most of it is simply too personal.**

 **Anyway, I am ready to continue. What you see here is, of course, just a little appetizer and also a way for me to get back into the groove of things. The next (considerably longer) chapter is already 95% finished and will be uploaded very soon.**

 **Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

Battles and Executions

Link

Link was fighting for his life!

He couldn't even remember how he'd gotten into such a grim situation, but he had no time to ponder it regardless. Dodging yet another heavy attack narrowly he realized that his chances of escape had grown slim and worsened every moment. The relentless horde of assailants rained endless blows on him and it was all he could do to stay hale.

He had lost his weapon long ago… only his bare hands remained to keep the already evilly grinning foes at bay.

They had encircled him from all sides now, steadily drawing nearer, not a spark of mercy or remorse to be found in their eyes… He was lost!

A particularly ruthless creature barrelled into him, followed closely by its friends, finally knocking him to the ground. Link gritted his teeth… this would be the end…

"Gotcha!" a high, boy's voice rejoiced, vibrating with so much victorious glee that Link had to laugh heartily, despite the mountain of feathered children lying on him by now.

"The evil monster has been defeated! What shall we do with him, brothers?!" the young dark-green Rito yelled dramatically. A natural leader if Link had ever seen one…

"Bind his wings and throw him down!" the others roared in a frenzied, well-practised chorus. He got the distinct feeling that this was the agreed upon punishment within this particular group of rambunctious boys. He could see the appeal: Struggling in dreadful terror against the many, overpowering hands, ultimately in vain and being thrown off the lofty platforms, plunging into the unforgiving depths… then to soar up once again to the triumphant laughter of one's friends… An excellent game befitting these children… Though with a slight snag when it came to Link being the horrified victim. He wondered whether they would have the sense to see it…

"No! No, please! Anything but that!" he whined with an almost convincing display of fright, struggling just enough for the lads to have quite a hassle keeping him down.

"Silence!" the young leader boomed, fascinatingly not the tallest, nor the oldest boy. "You will get no quarter from us, creature of evil! My warriors have spoken! Face your death with some dignity!"

"Goddess above! Won't you help me against these villains that have so honourlessly teamed up against me?" Link cried for the heavens, raising his arms imploringly, yanking two of the boys up with them, making them scamper wildly to get him back down.

"We're not the villains! You are!" One of them shouted, quite indignant.

Link showed him a sly grin. "Kinda depends on the view-point, wouldn't you say?" he chuckled, knowing the lad wouldn't understand such fine points of cold-blooded murder.

"Enough!" the leader commanded regally. "The sentence will be carried out. To the edge and over with the evildoer!"

"Tulin, we can't throw him off! He can't fly!" one of the kids whispered urgently into his commander's ear.

"I know that, Mirro! Just… scare him a little, is all…" the boy replied under his breath, clearly audible to everyone.

All of the six lads flashed wicked little grins and, on cue, picked up their battered, defeated victim… after the second try, realizing that a teenage Hylian is quite a bit heavier than their usual prey.

"No!" Link wailed, wriggling weakly as was expected of him. "Mercy! Mercy, I beg you!"

"Nope!" one of them giggled with obvious glee. They laggardly carried him closer to the edge, though Link couldn't quit tell whether the lack of speed came from his weight or the boy's diabolic relish of his 'despair'.

"Oh well, in that case, I might as well enjoy my last seconds of life!" he sighed, yawning ostentatiously and stretching his body as if he were lying on a feather bed… which he sort of was. His sudden wriggling severely threw off his captors' balance and they finally toppled when he put his hands behind his back and rested his left leg on his right knee. The whole procession, so shamelessly sabotaged by Hylian oppression, came tumbling down with Link lying peacefully amidst the stricken boys.

"Oh! Is the execution cancelled? I was finally getting into the spirit of things!" he complained as he made himself as heavy as he could to hinder the six lads from crawling out under him.

"What the freaking feathers are you made of? Hinox?!" one of them moaned as he tried to dislodge himself from under the royal guardian's bum.

"No fair!" the leader yelled, trying to hide his laughter by making an angry face, which just made him look like he'd eaten something rather disagreeable. "You can't just break free when we're about to justice-fy you!"

"Oh right! I forgot!" Link wailed, slapping his palm against his forehead as if he'd just remembered something obvious. "When a swarm of cuccos is about to murder you, you should just give in to your death, as it is unavoidable!"

"Who're you callin' cuccos?!" they all shouted in unison, feathers bristling. All six glared at him furiously, but quickly joined into his loud, hearty laughter. It also didn't stop them from launching themselves at him and initiate another wrestling match. At last, they all lay on the wooden planks of the platform that had been the arena for their epic battle to the death.

"We weren't… really gonna throw you off, you know…" the leader assured in a slightly subdued tone, his eyes darting back and forth between Link's and the sky. Despite all his bravado, it seemed quite important to him that his group, in fact, wasn't a raving bunch of murderous harpies.

"I know." He simply said, winking, with which the matter was settled.

They all lay there for another ten minutes or so until the boys were called to have lunch. He was asked by nearly all of them to join, being assured that their mothers would certainly not have a problem with feeding a guest. But, still eager to explore after his glorious combat, he declined… even when that meant ignoring his stomach, which diligently filed an audible complaint.

After quick goodbyes and the promise to one day repeat their bout, Link simply picked a direction and began walking, still awed by the cosy beauty of Rito Village.


	58. Episodes from Rito Village: Part 4

Fierce Tuition

Zelda

Following Saki into the interior yard of her mansion, Zelda felt exhilarated… and terrified. The shopping spree had turned out rather short, as her curiosity about what the magnificent Rito woman had to show her had trumped even her love for wandering about in a lively market… with infuriating ease.

Zelda was actually quite cross that her day of carefree sauntering had taken such a serious turn… but she had to admit that, since she had shown the first signs of control over her… talent, the desire to learn more had rarely left that niggling spot at the back of her head. And to be so frankly offered tuition, when their ultimate success could depend on her ability to coax some arcane power from her fingertips, was simply too alluring an offer to delay. And, well… to her own slight embarrassment, she felt strongly drawn towards such mysterious new knowledge… like a child creeping around a present that it wasn't allowed to open yet.

On the other hand…

"Are you… sure that this is a good idea? I really…" Zelda paused, wringing her hands as her stomach twisted into a nervous knot. "I really can't guarantee that… that I can control…"

"Well, we won't find out unless we try, won't we?" came the nonchalant answer from her guide, who didn't even glance at her.

Zelda felt her anger rise a notch, bristling at the unsatisfactory answer. "I am being quite serious! Would you please respond in kind?" She startled herself with her harsh answer… She hadn't meant to sound nearly as standoffish. Then again… her heart hammered in her chest and her fingers felt icy. As eager as she was to learn, no small part of her wanted nothing more than to find an excuse to postpone the lesson until…

'Until what?! Until you grow a spine? Until you stop being frightened at your own shadow? Both rather unlikely to happen in the near future!' She yelled at herself inside her own head.

The pink feathered woman turned and fixed her with a motherly look. "Do you fear your powers?" she asked softly. They had reached the centre of the 'courtyard', if you wished to think of like that, and Saki sat on one of the two cushions that had been placed right there beforehand.

Zelda looked at her, felt the older woman's inquisitive, yet kind, stare. It seemed obvious a question, but apparently it had to be answered… "I do… naturally."

"Why naturally?" Saki probed further, cocking her head.

Zelda thought about it for what felt like a whole minute, still not sitting down, keeping distance. 'Why indeed?' she wondered. She had not truly thought about it… had always worried that asking such questions might… progress things too quickly. But now that the Rito had, frankly, barrelled through her mental walls… she pondered. These powers hadn't been taught to her… they seemed to be within her from… as far back as she could remember. At least the dreadful visions and dreams were, the nightmares both waking and sleeping which had sometimes frightened her so much that her servants thought she was having a fit. They might be at the root of why she was so afeared to wake her slumbering talents… But, she had to admit… they were natural to her.

Still, she couldn't simply admit that her fears were unfounded! "I am… worried because… they are beyond my control. They only show when I am in distress. I do not know what… I might end up doing when they do show. Besides, Hylians don't exhibit such properties. There is no-one who could teach me…" she bubbled forth, all thoughts that shot through her head and there were many more she could have voiced.

"Why shouldn't I be able to teach you?" the magnificent hen asked, curious, not a shimmer of impatience or injured pride in her voice.

"I… I'd assume your people's powers would differ quite a bit from mine…" Zelda replied, having to admit that, once again, she hadn't really thought about it.

"Hmm…" Saki hummed thoughtfully, then cocked her head to the other side. "How much do you fear your magic?"

The young princess stared at her, thoughts racing. A simple question… but how in Nayru's name could she answer? She was about to give a rather testy answer, when memories flooded her mind… The time she had healed the soldier when she was still feverish from the first emergence of her power… and the hours she had fretted quietly afterwards, not knowing whether whatever the hell she had done had even helped… or merely prolonged suffering… Anxious hours of questioning her own sanity at having done something to another Hylian without having the faintest clue about it… She might as well have eaten strange mushrooms in a foreign forest and expected to find nothing but pleasant taste!

She recalled the time her desperate outburst had seared the skin of the Lizalfos assailants so much they had smoked and writhed in agony! What if the same had happened to Link?! She certainly hadn't controlled any of it, not even in the slightest!

She remembered when… when her side had hurt so badly she hadn't even had enough strength to scream. She remembered, dimly, the strange focus she'd had… the energy she had unleashed, the energy Link had conducted… Goddess above, what if he hadn't been able to give it direction? It had all happened so fast… He had understood… or had listened to mere instinct and it had worked but… Only faintly she still saw how the entire root chamber had been charred, the pitiful rest of the slimy adversaries burning away… What, by Din's hellfire, if Link, her protector, her beloved, had been hit with but a fraction of this power?

"More than death…" she whispered when the visions finally abated. She breathed it without even meaning to, it had just made its way past her lips, whiny and overly dramatic as it was… But absolutely honest it was too…

Saki seemed taken aback for a second, then her eyes showed genuine sympathy. "I see…" She took a few moments to think as Zelda stood by awkwardly, wishing she could take back that embarrassing avowal, her mind still shaking from countless devastating what-ifs.

The older woman offered her winged hand. "Come. Sit with me." she bade, smiling very motherly now.

Zelda felt like a young girl when she hesitantly took the proffered hand and let herself be gently pulled down on the other cushion.

"I have to apologize, first." she heard the Rito say sincerely. "You seem a very thoughtful young lady, very much in control. I initially thought you might simply need a little… emotional push, hence why I tried to enrage you a little bit. Now I see that the problem lies elsewhere…" The magnificent woman gazed at her, seemingly analyzing her from top to bottom. "Fear of one's power is… rare among my people. Aeromancy is as natural to us as our sense of touch. And, of course, once the gift awakens in a young boy or girl, you can hardly stop them from experimenting… Hence why your dilemma didn't occur to me as readily …"

Zelda listened to the hen's explanation, interested to hear more.

"I assume, then, since your feelings are so strong, that you know about your powers for a long time?"

"Since I can remember…" she muttered. "Though a new, frightening aspect of them has only shown itself a few months ago. I am wholly inexperienced in that regard, even more so than with… the other facet." Din's blazes, I can't even properly speak about it, she thought angrily. 'Still I am convinced I will be held as a freak, if ever my abnormity came to daylight! Yet another thing I can thank the king for!' She gritted her teeth, her fidgeting hands calming long enough only for her nails to dig into her palms.

"And, I presume, you have made little progress in developing them?" Saki dug further. If she had noticed the younger girl's brief boiling of emotions, she chose to ignore it.

Zelda nodded glumly. "Always too afraid…" she admitted with a tiny voice. "My… the king would constantly remind me never to show any sign of such… abnormity. No-one must ever know, he would instil in me time and time again. Then, when finally this new… light came forth and it could no longer be hidden, he forbade me from digging further…" She looked to the side, glaring at the potted plants around as if they were to blame. She quietly seethed for a moment, then her expression mellowed. "Link would always urge me to find out more… to confront my fears head on… He would devise method after method, exercise after exercise, to coax something, anything, out from me…" She felt herself smile, amused when she thought of some of his more ludicrous ideas… sad, when she recalled that she had boycotted all his efforts out of worry for his safety. Only within the Deku Tree, when she was simply too exasperated to think, had he been able to lure something out from the depths within… and so had she, come to think of it…

"Link would waste so much time on me… I fear his understanding of his own powers has suffered for it… I believe he scarcely even realized his own potential, so focussed was he with aiding me…"

"Interesting…" Saki mused, eyebrow cocked, thoughtful for a spell. Then her eyes fixed on Zelda once more, kindly, and she extended her open palm. "Take my hand, sweet one!"

The would be student hesitated… she did not like being kept unknowing of what would follow. At the same time she chided herself for her mistrust. She felt so dreadfully torn between her nearly insatiable curiosity driving her on and the chains of fear and doubt, crafted over 15 years by her father and herself with terrible care, holding her back.

Willing her hand not to tremble, she took Saki's left hand with her right, feeling dazed by the rapid hammering of blood in her own veins.

The Rito took her fingers between her own, firm enough to provide stability, light enough to allow her to escape, should she want to. "You are probably right that our magics differ to a degree that I cannot teach you much of your art." she intoned softly, her gaze intense. "However, I do not think that that is what is needed of me anyway. You yourself are without a doubt the strictest tutor, child…"

Zelda swallowed at the change of tone in her opposite's voice. She didn't even think of objecting to the word 'child'. At this moment she was nothing but against this woman's authority.

"The lesson I will try to teach is a different one. An important and undoubtedly frightening one. I will attempt it once, to give you the first push away from being a frightened child. Only once. It will then be decided whether I succeeded or failed." Her voice lost nothing of its soft calm, but there was unbending steel beneath it. Her eyes shone with an intensity that could turn a bunch of rowdy men into an orderly formation without a spoken word. Zelda's breath caught for a moment, stunned. "You sound like a warrior…" she squeaked, afeared and terribly fascinated.

"Who says I'm not?" the woman snarled with grim satisfaction, a rough half-smile around her beak. Her magnificent pink feathers bristled and waved… and Zelda could suddenly feel the power radiating from her. Not just in her hand that was still in Saki's grasp, but on all of her skin, in every fibre, in every bone.

"Now, girl…" she said with dire finality. "Will you learn what I have to impart? Or will you pull away?"

The hand that held her softened a little bit as if to dare her, taunt her, offer her a way out… an easy way… a child's way…

Zelda was trembling, afraid of what was to come, afraid of the pale blue glow of arcane power that radiated from her tutor's eyes… but, strangely, she was also calmed. This was a test. A test with a kind but strict teacher, which wouldn't be repeated…

She had always been good with tests…

Letting her heart override all her brain's doubts for once, she grabbed the proffered hand as fast as she could.

"Good…" The warrioress growled. "Then we can begin."

Almost immediately Zelda felt the air around them start to move, nothing more than a light breeze around her skin, but enough to send shivers over her arms to her shoulders.

"Close your eyes!" Saki commanded coolly and she obeyed.

Even with her lids shut it was as if she could see her opposite, so clear and defined was the sheer force that she emitted.

"Your task, for now, is to simply feel my aeromancy and the winds around us. Nothing more."

Her voice sounded impossibly loud all of a sudden… then Zelda realized that no… not her voice was loud but everything else had suddenly gotten very quiet. The omnipresent creaking of wood around them, the rustle of a sea of leaves below, the muffled voices from beyond the walls surrounding the 'courtyard' they were sitting in… All had been extinguished.

"What am I doing?" the woman asked levelly.

Zelda didn't have to think very long… even the slightest movement had ceased. Sitting still, she had the feeling of being encased in honey. "You have stilled the air…" she meant to say, but no sound escaped her lips, causing her to rip her eyes open in surprise and a sudden fear of suffocating.

"Eyes closed!" Saki repeated fiercely, her voice still terribly loud. The younger woman swallowed, breathed in deeply, forced herself to calm… then shut her eyes once more.

"Good. You are correct. I have stilled the air. And not even you shall disturb the quiet because I won't allow it." The feathery hand suddenly became like a vice. "I could take your breath too… just as easily as I took your voice." she whispered, deadly as the chilling cold of a mountain's peak. A shiver of fear ran down Zelda's spine and she felt her teeth chatter before she stopped them. Deep down she knew that there was no real threat of that, but the icy certainty in Saki's voice caused a primal reaction of terror. Still, her hand did not pull back.

"But I won't. You may keep breathing because I allow it." The grip relaxed, and the tiny vibrations and swirls of the wind returned, feeling peculiarly welcome and missed. The serenity, however, only lasted a moment…

The bluish aura flared outwards, strong enough that she actually saw the woman's outlines through her eyelids. Still, that was nothing compared to what she _felt_. The waves of arcane energy crashed through her so fiercely that it drove the air from her lungs… what had previously been but a thin sheen of power was now a raging fire, its heat felt with a sense that Zelda had maybe always possessed… but was so rarely used that it was now stimulated to its breaking point.

The furious tempest that had engulfed them was almost an afterthought, even though its roar threatened to punch through her ears.

Despite everything, she tried to focus on her task, tried to explore this still new sense that was currently inundated with information… like a babe exploring a toy with chubby, clumsy fingers.

It was… fuzzy at first… like the colourful blotches and streaks in one's vision overtaxed by light. But then, as Zelda dared to allow more and more of it in, her sixth sense attuning to the unfamiliar stimuli, ever more was grasped, ever more understood.

As calmly as Saki was sitting across from her, a part of her mind was dancing, weaving and waving to a celestial rhythm that was beyond her ken. It was a joyous jig, as of a young girl twirling freely in glee… but still in absolute control, no movement in error, every hard practiced motion perfectly precise. And the wind followed, swirling around them both playfully. Suddenly she saw, or rather felt, the myriad of threads that connected the Rito to the air about, sensed the thousands of soft, coltish coaxes that sent it into a merry frisk… Only the sheer volume of the wind around them made it seem threatening, its gleeful hollering seem angry shouts, its eager tugging at Zelda's clothes and hair to come join seem violent tearing.

She understood all this… and also what could happen when the now tame and spiralling threads of magic from Saki's mind were to be tautened.

"You have relaxed considerably…" She heard the older woman speak, her voice still as clearly audible as if she were talking right into her ear. "You see what I am doing, do you not?"

Zelda nodded slowly, afraid that the brittle connection she had managed to form might break with rapid movement. "You are dancing…" she answered simply, her own sound blown away immediately.

"Hmm…" the warrioress hummed approvingly. "Strange… I do not feel your presence on me. I should." She seemed to ponder for a few moments.

"Your second lesson, young one…" she stated loudly. Zelda swallowed. She wasn't even sure she had understood what the first one had been. "…What can, at first glance, seem threatening and violent can, in truth, be perfectly benign. A mighty roar, strong enough to vibrate the earth, might send fear to your heart… but if you round another corner in your path, you might find it to be nothing but a lively river, raucous and strong, but in the end still peaceful in its bed. The way to know is simply-"

"Careful study." Zelda finished the sentence, nodding earnestly, feeling the sweet flutter of blossoming understanding in her belly.

"Just so, fledgling." Saki said, her voice kinder again.

The princess felt the corners of her mouth tug upward timidly. These thoughts weren't completely new to her, but to hear someone who has clearly mastered her kind of magic talk her language still felt quite encouraging.

"Try to influence the wind!"

The younger girl's eyes snapped open once again, her surprise quickly surpassed by another wave of fear and uncertainty. She couldn't really mean…

"Go on! And eyes closed, I said!" Saki's stern voice was back with a vengeance. Her grip softened a tiny bit to allow her student to move her hand a bit.

The challenged one hesitated, almost losing the new and exciting connection due to turbulent thoughts and worries. She tried to focus, her muscles tensing almost painfully… but she didn't have the slightest clue what she should do, where she should begin. "I… I can't…"

"Sorry?" came the impatient reply.

Zelda had no doubt that her teacher had understood her perfectly, even though there was still no tone escaping from her throat. "I can't! I don't know how!" she repeated.

"Oh? How very surprising! I have taught five-year-olds that could at least do anything… and weren't quivering in fear at the slightest little farts of a breeze they could produce…" the Rito taunted quite humourlessly.

Zelda felt her cheeks redden and her lips narrow. Without even meaning to, her grip tightened.

"Oho! Are we getting angry, princess? And will there be a royal fart to follow it up?"

'I'll give you a fart to remember, you strutting self-important, over-developed pillow filling!' Soundly enraged because of the stinging truth in Saki's words, she abandoned her sheepish little approach of opening herself and all but rammed in the door. Her mind nearly went white with the intensity of power that washed over her, but her anger kept her senses in check. The tiny bit of understanding she had gained and clung to from within the Tree had to be good for something, didn't it? Saki herself had bridged her waking thoughts with the wind around them, had provided a corridor along which she could see, hear, feel and comprehend the flowing air around them… Until now, she had merely watched… Immensely carefully, she tried extending her mind until it brushed against the whirlwind, attempted to appropriate some of the myriad of tiny connections her mentor used to make it dance to her will.

A few tiny golden strands replaced the Rito's light blue threads… and Zelda's head started to spin as if she had been slapped, her whole sensorium suddenly mired in a violent vertigo. Her free hand slammed onto the wooden floor, desperate for anything it could hold onto to stem the twisting, bucking and turning that assaulted her mind. Nausea crept into her stomach, but she gritted her teeth against it. The pitiful little strands she had established spiralled loosely away, not severing, tugging at her, pulling her this way and that. She was being controlled, instead of the other way around! She tried to fight it, pouring more of her energy into them, but that only strengthened the connection, ultimately inflicting more harm on her as she didn't know how to control them!

'Like with the door!' she suddenly remembered… She had felt its weight, felt it nearly crush her bones with its mass and had only been able to ease a few kilos away, just enough for Link to lift it up!

The merciless spinning became almost too much to bear. She was ready to yank her hand away, if only to prevent herself from spilling her guts onto her teacher… Then she remembered another thing… With immense effort, she took another feel at Saki's aura… that part of her mind had never stopped dancing…

Battling down yet another wave of nearly overpowering nausea, Zelda attempted to join in, releasing her fierce grip, her desperate attempt to remain 'standing' as the gales pelted her… and let herself be carried by the rhythm of the wind. Almost instantly, the violent tugging on her soul ceased, the relentless spinning stopped… the strands of power, connections of her own making, had no more friction on her. She turned and twisted and danced in tune.

A fierce grin spread on her face. 'Now, let's see if we can't dictate the beat!'

Now that she could focus on the few golden strands that merrily hopped along, she tried to do some tugging on her own. Slower… just a tiny bit…

At once, her head began spinning again, but far less so this time. Zelda adjusted her mental dance until she and the wind were once again in the same rhythm. Good… again…

Sweat ran down her back and formed in large droplets on her forehead. A part of her marvelled at the awesome skill of Saki to do all of this without even a hint of effort… while she panted at the equivalent of a 90-year-old crone's shuffle.

Step by slow step, the whirlwind slowed, its howl calmed.

"Well, well… now I can actually feel you. Good!" A pause, then she continued darkly. "Time for the third lesson, then." Even with her eyes closed, Zelda could hear the sadistic smirk and tried to brace herself… too slowly.

"My turn!" Saki hissed and without so much as moving a feather her arcane power exploded around her with such intensity that the younger girl yelped in shock, her still new senses blinded and the tender strands of control instantly ripped to shreds. A mercy, as even the few milliseconds of clinging to the wind, now again firmly under her teacher's control, was enough to send her tumbling back down into terrible nausea. Her whole body heaved, her hand, driven by instinct, twitched to hold on to the stable floor… but at the last moment Saki re-grabbed her palm, the connection never fully lost.

"Where do you think you're going?" the older woman snarled with such sudden anger that Zelda's breath caught in her throat. The grip on her hand turned iron, she would have yelped in pain if she had any air to spare… The storm around them howled with such horrifying fury that even drawing breath had become a trembling effort.

Her new sense blasted into numbness, she couldn't help but tear open her eyes… a mistake. The intensity of the wind, enough to physically chafe her skin, dried them within a moment and she shut them again… Still, the moment had been enough to send mortal fear to her heart. If before had been a tempest, what Saki had conjured now must be nothing but the apocalypse! It had become nearly night-dark and just for this tiny instant she was convinced that she was able to actually see the movement, the panic inducing speed of the twisting air.

If her rationale hadn't yelled at her to stay put, and Saki didn't still have her in a vice grip, she might already have fled in the vain hope of finding shelter from the storm's shocking wrath.

"What now princess, hmm?" The Rito's dread voice rang tremendous in Zelda's ears despite her belief that the onslaught all around had deafened her.

"Did you believe your puny little tantrum would impress me? Did you think your weak effort might actually wrest control away from me, a master of my craft?!" The younger girl cowered away from the sheer might vibrating in Saki's words, but there was nowhere to run. The wall of wind seemed to draw ever closer around her, threatening to simply grind away her skin with its awesome power.

"You feel my strength, don't you, girl? You sense just how close you are to the abyss!" the pure malice in her growl turned the princess' guts to ice. "With a single thought I could crush you between the winds at my command. But more… With a single flick of my wing I could tear these nests off the Guardian's branches like I might brush off dust from my feathers."

There was no doubt in Zelda's mind. Saki could do these things… she felt her power in every bone, every fibre, every nerve…

"How is it, then, that I may gather this much raw force to show you the dread I can conjure… and still be absolutely sure that I risk not even a ruffled feather of any one of my brothers and sisters? How may I keep all of this at bay, even as my wrath knows no bounds?"

The younger girl needed a few attempts before her bone dry mouth could be persuaded to move despite her trembling. "C-control. Control!" she squawked, inaudibly.

"Through what?!" the Rito barked, her eyes furious.

The answer was simple, but with it came the profound and visceral understanding of this lesson. "T-Training! Training to perfection!"

The winds lessened instantly, receded as mysteriously as they had appeared to whatever realm it called its own, until nothing but a tiny breeze remained. The sudden silence… was deafening. Zelda's whole body shook and tears welled up in her eyes. She realized, again, that all this had been nothing but an exercise… and felt ashamed that her teacher had so easily buried that knowledge, that safety, beneath icy dread.

Saki breathed deeply, the strain of her incredible conjuring of winds now visible on her beaked face. The younger girl felt the grip on her hand soften, but the desire to pull away was gone… Partly because she was still in shock, in another part because she now saw that there never was any danger.

"Do you see? Do you see the importance of control over one's magic?" The Rito woman questioned, her voice once again calm… motherly…

"Every creature lashes out when it is backed into a corner. Think of what I might do, what havoc I might wreak, had I not developed my skills as I have. Can you imagine, someone with my talent in aeromancy lost in animalistic panic?"

Zelda swallowed, memories flashing before her eyes of the instances when she had, indeed, fallen into sheer despair and her powers had burst forth, raw and unbridled.

"Or think of your protector… a fearsome enemy to have, or so I'm told. Do you think he is afraid of his blade? He respects it, doubtlessly, lest he hurt himself… but fear? He needs to know it, needs to know its weight, its feel, its power. He needs to know his sword's path before he has even twitched a muscle, else how can he protect you? How often does he train his prowess with his weapon?"

"…daily…" she replied, her voice tiny as understanding finally broke through the cocoon of fear inside her head, as well as shame about her own childish evasion of the issue… and the valuable time lost due to it.

"Exactly. What separates a true warrior from a child with a sharp stick is purpose and training. You, child, certainly have purpose… now you know what else you need."

And with those words Saki at last let go of her hand and awarded her a small but cordial grin.

Zelda stared at her tingly fingers, still dumbfounded by the events of the last minutes. It was like the swirling tempest still raged within her head, so difficult it was to grab hold of a single thought. There were a thousand questions she knew she needed to ask her newfound mentor and she couldn't get any of them to come out!

"W… what do I do?" she finally voiced lamely, immediately feeling like an utter dolt.

"For the future? Begin. You have a goal, so begin working towards it. And let your man help you with it, that's what he's there for!" She giggled with a rather suggestive wink. "And for now? Go back out, enjoy your day and think of other things. You have learned quite enough for today… or rather, you have been taught quite enough!"

With an enviably smooth motion Saki stood up and nodded. "Class dismissed!" she snarled sternly, but wasn't quite able to keep a low chuckle from her voice.

Zelda nodded, her gaze lowered and almost tumbled back towards the outward branches, still so dazed that she even forgot to bid goodbye. Lost in thought, she plodded back towards the market place, hardly even noticing the many wide-eyed Rito that had gathered outside of Komali's mansion.


End file.
